Seven decades since it rolled off the production line in Fullerton, California – and whatever your personal tastes – you’d have to agree that Leo Fender’s deathless doublecut is the quintessential electric guitar.

It’s the shape a kid would draw if you handed them a crayon. It’s the model you’d show to a visiting glow-fingered alien curious about humanoid rock ‘n’ roll.

To sling a Strat is to experience the ultimate collision of tone and ergonomics.

Respect to the Telecaster (born three years earlier, in 1951), but it’s a caveman’s club next to Leo’s next great lightbulb moment.

Sleek as a surfboard, contoured to the body like a well-cut suit, with stellar access and the first bulletproof tremolo system. Sonically unique, with an unmistakable singlecoil ‘cluck’ that could be fattened, starved, or stacked via a cluster of idiot-proof dials and a five-way selector (from the mid-’70s on).

Back then, in 1954, the Strat seemed to come from the future, and even now, if you pause and consider it afresh, it still does.

But the Fender Stratocaster would just be a glorified carpentry project without the players who danced across its neck and gave it life. Here we celebrate 25 of the very best Strat-o-masters, from the worlds of blues, rock, funk, disco, prog, shred, grunge, metal, and beyond.

Buddy Holly

It’s December 1, 1957. Buddy Holly is performing That’ll Be The Day on his Ed Sullivan Show debut, and the great American public is seeing the Fender Stratocaster in action for the first time.

He might look like a librarian on uppers, but the Texan bandleader’s piston-pump rhythm work is not to be sniffed at, and to a generation that has known nothing but horn bands, that hard, biting jangle is a clarion call announcing that things will be different from now on.

Jimi Hendrix

Admittedly, the defining image of the Strat’s greatest Sixties ambassador sees him torching the damn thing onstage at 1967’s Monterey Pop Festival. But the instrument’s real pyrotechnics happened before Jimi lit the match.

Exploring the outer limits of its mischief-ready sonic scope and easily abused tremolo, he couldn’t have conjured the same black-magic cacophony – or the beauty of Little Wing – from any other model. Jimi’s trademark flip ‘n’ restring, meanwhile, was an audio-visual WTF that only cemented the impression he’d just stepped off a spaceship into Swinging London.

Hank Marvin

You Americans don’t know how lucky you are. It wasn’t until 1959 – a full five years after US production began – that Shadows bandleader Cliff Richard bought and gifted to his guitarist what is believed to be the first Strat on British shores (a Fiesta Red stunner with gold hardware). Those gorgeous, glassy, plaintive melodies on Apache and Wonderful Land wouldn’t have shimmered the same on anything else.

Jeff Beck

Sure, a Telecaster (in the Yardbirds) and Les Paul (on Blow By Blow) were fine for the punch-your-lights-out early stuff. But when Beck really found his voice and fell into his signature techniques – the volume swells and whale-song whammy tickles, exemplified by Where Were You – only the Fender doublecut could get the job done.

“What is it about the Strat that I love so much?” he mused in an interview with Malcolm Gerrie of Sky Arts. “Its endless color…”

Eric Clapton

Like Beck, EC played ’em all, from his Yardbirds Tele, through the revved-up Les Paul of the Bluesbreakers, to the SG-fueled ‘woman’ tone showcased on Cream’s Disraeli Gears. But like so many Sixties galacticos, as the decade turned, he was drawn to the Strat, retooling a clutch of second-hand models bought from a Nashville music store into the fabled Blackie mongrel that drove everything from Cocaine to Wonderful Tonight.

“I felt like Blackie had become part of me,” Clapton once told Guitar Player. “A guitar like that comes along maybe once in a lifetime.”

David Gilmour

Compared to his ’70s-gunslinger peers, the Pink Floyd man didn’t play too many notes. But the sweetness of his phrasing, twinned with the haunting, bell-like quality of his ’69 Black Strat, meant each one was a symphony (revisit the shivering four-note starburst of Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part II).

That Black Strat was just recently auctioned from the private collection of late Indianapolis Colts boss Jim Irsay for $14.5 million, making it officially the world’s most valuable guitar.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

The Texas bluesman picked up his early-’60s Strat – known as both Number One and First Wife – from an Austin music store in 1974. As a man who played so hard he had to perform DIY on his own tattered fingers, the instrument probably deserved its retirement in 1990 – while SRV’s tragic death that August meant he never saw Fender’s signature replica launch two years later at NAMM.

Ritchie Blackmore

Deep Purple’s dark wizard got his wings on a Gibson ES-335, but a fateful 1969 encounter with Eric Clapton’s roadie changed everything (“He brought a Strat, so I said to him, ‘Do you want to sell that guitar?’”).

In a 2024 GW interview, Blackmore told us he tracked Smoke On The Water on a mongrel, before summing up the Strat’s pragmatic magic: “It’s a way of paying the bills. It also happens to be an incredible guitar.”

Nile Rodgers

Just for a moment, consider how many unfathomable millions of dollars must have flowed through the Chic legend’s ‘Hitmaker’ Strat.

Seeing action with everyone from David Bowie to Madonna, the sonic character of its unusually light alder body is perfect for Rodgers’ muted hits and zingy chord fragments. But he might never have picked it up from a Miami pawn shop in ’73 were it not for the curt advice of wingman/bassist Bernard Edwards (“Get a Strat, motherf***er!”)

Yngwie Malmsteen

Before the Scandi shredder broke out with 1984’s Rising Force, ‘scallops’ were something you gagged on at posh dinner parties.

Inspired by a 16th century lute with carved-out frets, Malmsteen recalled that “people thought I was crazy” when they saw his teenage handiwork. But there was no arguing with the added velocity of scalloping, which made this already-lightning-fast player even speedier, like strapping rockets on Usain Bolt’s sneakers. Only Clapton was offered a Fender signature Strat before him (but Malmsteen’s ’88 model was the first to feature his signature on the headstock).

Dave Murray and Janick Gers

Given all that demon iconography, you’d expect Iron Maiden’s three-guitar frontline to reach for something macabre from the B.C. Rich brochure. In fact, the British metallers’ gallop is largely underpinned by a pair of workhorse Strats, with Janick Gers favoring a Seymour Duncan JB JR-bolstered model and Dave Murray driving a pair of Hot Rails (Adrian Smith is more of a dabbler, mostly wedded to his Jackson San Dimas).

Tom DeLonge

The Blink-182 man has bounced between Fender and Gibson his whole career, and lately seems sworn to his signature Starcaster. But after retiring the iconic early “Sticker Strat”, the Enema Of The State period saw DeLonge punch out parts like All The Small Things on a pastel-hued Custom Shop Strat with a lonely Seymour Duncan Invader bridge ’bucker (it was released in 2001 as a production guitar).

Albert Hammond Jr

Beset by bowel-tuned nu-metal, it felt like we hadn’t seen a Strat in years when The Strokes broke out with 2001’s Is This It.

While Nick Valensi was all studied cool on an Epiphone Riviera, his corkscrew-curled wingman hammered thrillingly at a high-strapped 1985 reissue of a ’72 Strat (that instrument was also behind the feral, Freddie King-inspired solo on Last Nite).

Billy Corgan

Alt-rock will forever be associated with a sticker-coated Jazzmaster, but look closer and the Strat appeared in the hands of everyone from Kurt Cobain (at the ’92 Reading Festival) to Mike McCready (the out-of-phase shimmer on Yellow Ledbetter). Amongst these, Corgan was arguably the greatest virtuoso and most committed Strat-o-phile.

In his words, the Smashing Pumpkins leader “walked into a Guitar Center one day and, off the wall, bought an Eric Clapton ’57 reissue. That became the main guitar for Siamese and Mellon Collie, and launched a thousand ships of people chasing that sound.”

Mark Knopfler

Before he settled back into the molten Les Paul solos of Brothers In Arms, the Dire Straits leader was the fastest gun on London’s post-punk scene, revered for the quicksilver bob ‘n’ weave outro to 1978’s Sultans Of Swing.

Tellingly, the red ’61 he played it on (supposedly something of a partscaster) was one of the few models that Knopfler chose to ring-fence from his 2024 guitar auction.

Bonnie Raitt

The Californian slide goddess and 13-time Grammy winner picked up her first Strat on the street following a 1969 gig – immediately falling for the often-neglected third position. “It’s all about that middle pickup,” says Raitt. “You just can’t beat it.”

Eric Johnson

The Cliffs Of Dover virtuoso could easily have followed his G3 brethren into an Ibanez endorsement. But Johnson is a Strat diehard with a very specific wishlist, insisting that models from ’54, ’57, and ’58 are best (“I think Fender had a shipment of wood that was real special”) and adding an offbeat f-hole to his 2018 signature thinline.

Cory Wong

Funk belongs on a Strat – don’t argue – and Wong’s kinetic grooves with Vulfpeck have moved more feet than anyone on the modern scene. He’s proved price isn’t everything with his dedication to his teenage Highway One model – also the inspiration for his 2021 signature model – and should really be taking a salary as Fender brand ambassador.

Wong was led to the aforementioned Highway One Strat by his father, who – Wong said in a 2023 Guitar World interview – told him, “‘Listen! You love the Chili Peppers, you love Stevie Ray Vaughan. Look at Jeff Beck, look at Jimi Hendrix, look at Stevie Ray and Eric Johnson.’ He gave me this lineage of the Stratocaster and basically said: Look at all the things this guitar is capable of.’”

H.E.R.

The Strat’s generation-leaping appeal is underlined by Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, whose breakout 2021 album, Back Of My Mind, bends the backbone of vintage R&B into bold new shapes.

“The Strat is an iconic guitar, just because of the look and shape,” says the 28-year-old Californian (who got her own signature model in 2020). “But the tone, the heaviness… to me, it’s the unicorn. It’s classic, but it’s new at the same time.”

Rory Gallagher

Bought on credit in 1963, and beaten like a dog through the ’70s and ’80s, the Irishman’s ’61 looked set for a quiet retirement. Instead, it now enjoys an afterlife as a blues-rock Excalibur, loaned out to wide-eyed fanboys like Joe Bonamassa.

“I’m thinking, ‘I’m gonna take so much shit for this’,” recalled the US bluesman of test-driving Rory’s doublecut at London’s Hammersmith Apollo in 2011. “Because everyone on the Internet will go, ‘Who do you think you are?’ But anybody would have done it…”

The Edge

U2’s sonic maverick has built up quite a rack since 1980’s Boy (you could argue he’s equally associated with the Explorer). But hands-down the most neck-tingling moment of any show is the delay-drenched jewelry box tinkle of Where The Streets Have No Name, and for that, a Strat on the middle pickup is non-negotiable.

Mdou Moctar

If your first guitar had been built from driftwood, bicycle cables, and the keys used to open sardine tins, you’d be glad to get on a Strat too. The desert-blues figurehead’s only stipulation is that the strings on his American Professional left-hander are at least two years old.

Steve Lacy

Every time you think you’ve got the Strat all figured out, a twenty-something gunslinger comes along and flips it on its head.

Take the Californian alt-R&B phenom, who splits his licks between solo work, The Internet, and a billion guest-spots with everyone from Vampire Weekend to Tyler, The Creator. Then there’s Lacy’s rulebook-shredding People Pleaser signature Strat – complete with an onboard fuzz circuit.

Ry Cooder

There’s a case that the Californian slide man barely qualifies as a Strat player. His trademark ‘Coodercasters’, after all, are so heavily modded that Leo Fender would barely recognize them as his children. But Cooder demands inclusion for his beyond-spellbinding, desert-baked, and dust-blown tone.

Buddy Guy

When the great Louisiana bluesman headed north in ’57, he assured his ailing mother he’d return from Chicago at the wheel of a polka-dot Cadillac. Guy couldn’t keep that promise, but made amends by commissioning his spotted Fender signature model.

He’s never strayed from the Strat, and even on the brink of his nineties, used it to dig out a gorgeous fingerstyle blues in the credits scene of last year’s Oscar-winning Sinners.

Many artists would have struggled to follow a debut album as game-changing as Texas Flood. Not SRV, however, who showed no signs of second album syndrome on 1984’s Couldn’t Stand The Weather.

Its opening track, the fiery instrumental he named Scuttle Buttin’, is arguably the most technically demanding piece of music he ever put his name to.

An uptempo 12-bar shuffle delivered in fast and furious style in under two minutes, in which he ripped through the open position of the Eb blues scale at 162bpm, demonstrating his ferocious alternate-picking skills with flickers of legato and glissando to round it all off. But it was far greater than an exercise in clinical repetition, instead typifying a gift most natural indeed – the kind very few are born with.

The title track from Couldn’t Stand The Weather was issued as a single with a video that received regular rotation on MTV. In this, Stevie can be seen playing his Hamiltone Stratocaster copy built by New York luthier James Hamilton. It had been commissioned by ZZ Top legend Billy Gibbons, and was presented to SRV as a gift on April 29, 1984.

Though it was similar in shape, the guitar carried a few notable differences to the real-deal Strats the guitarist was usually seen with, such as the neck-through-body design instead of the standard Fender bolt-on, and a two-piece maple body as opposed to his favoured alder.

In place of the usual rosewood, the fretboard was made out of ebony featured an abalone inlay emblazoned with the guitarist’s name. Somewhat ironically, during the video shoot the guitar itself couldn’t stand the weather, with the EMG pickups damaged by the ‘rain’ falling on the musicians and their instruments. Stevie replaced them with stock Fender single coils.

Other highlights from the album included slow blues Tin Pan Alley, jazz closer Stang’s Swang and W.C. Clark/Mike Kindred cover Cold Shot – which, like title track, made use of the Fender Vibratone cabinet manufactured by the American guitar company during the late-’60s and early-’70s.

A modulation effect would be produced by its 10-inch speaker and cylinder being mechanically rotated by a motor with a rubber belt, taking advantage of the Doppler effect – which is the apparent change in frequency of a wave to the listener as a result of motion.

Soul to Soul, the third album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, arrived in 1985, and again yielded some staggeringly thrilling and ambitious moments as the band dared to tread new ground with keyboardist Reese Wynans, who now plays with Joe Bonamassa.

Look At Little Sister, for example, drifted away from their roots as a power trio and incorporated some honky-tonk piano as well as a saxophone solo, whereas Change It felt like a heavier and more modern take on the traditional blues format pursued on their earlier recordings. And on the closing ballad Life Without You he sang as beautifully as he played – a masterclass in sonic perfection.

As drummer Chris Layton recalls: “I guess to some extent we all had that perfectionist ideal, always wanting to get a little better, but Stevie was a really easy-going guy. He was a very forgiving person, and generous.

“The one thing he was demanding of – without ever saying it – was trying our hardest and being the best we could be. It was never like, ‘Uh oh, you made a mistake!’ In fact, he’d often say a mistake might even be something new – let’s go with it and see where it takes us instead of stopping and starting again because it was played wrong.

“That was a beautiful thing about him. We never really analysed what we were doing. We just had to put our hearts and souls into what we were playing. There were no qualifications, rules or regulations, which was cool but also kinda daunting – especially when you’re on stage in front of 20,000 people and he starts playing something new! You have to jump in and not question whether it will work or not. We just had to take off and try our best!”

It was in this period that Stevie’s alcohol and cocaine addictions began to spiral out of control, almost killing him from dehydration in Germany and famously leading to a blackout on stage in London. As he later revealed: “I would wake up and guzzle something just to get rid of the pain I was feeling. It was like… solid doom.”

After doctors warned him that he was just months away from death, Stevie entered rehab in 1986 and continued his recovery after relocating back to the house he grew up in. Although he was nervous about performing sober, he returned to the stage on November 23 of that year at Maryland’s Towson State University.

Sadly, as fate would have it, the 1989 album In Step – its title openly referring to his recent experience of rehabilitation – would end up being the final release from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.

It remains a favourite among fans for many reasons, with the quartet broadening their horizons and penning tracks that felt slicker and ultimately bigger than their earlier work, with additional horns, saxophones and trumpets for good measure.

Opening track The House Is Rockin’ includes some phenomenal interplay between SRV and Wynans, and a new sense of musical focus is evident.

There’s the band boogie of Crossfire, and the funky shuffle of Tightrope features another example of Stevie’s dynamic phrasing during the solo section, where he leaves long gaps in between his musical sentences to let the conversation flow naturally. And, just like everything they’d recorded thus far, there were many different shades of blue to be found in between its energetic opener, the slower 1-4-5 of Leave My Girl Alone and grand finale Riviera Paradise.

Says Chris Layton: “All the stuff we recorded together, from Tightrope, Lookin’ Out The Window and Leave My Girl Alone to Crossfire to Riviera Paradise and Stang’s Swang, these were all incredible songs and all very different. It wasn’t just the blues format dragging on and on.”

To promote In Step, the band joined forces on a tour with Jeff Beck and his group, who had recently released the highly acclaimed Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop album. Anyone who was lucky enough to catch any of the 29 dates on The Fire Meets the Fury Tour will have seen two of greatest guitar players of all time going head-to-head on latter-day releases that proved they still had plenty to say. But, of course, in SRV’s case, it was just not meant to be.

During one month in 1990 he had teamed up with big brother Jimmie to record the album Family Style, credited to The Vaughan Brothers. The album was produced by Nile Rodgers, and for a lot of those recordings Stevie ended up using the Chic guitarist’s black Strat with gold hardware.

“He loved the way it sounded,” Rodgers told Total Guitar. “A few months before doing that Vaughan Brothers record, I went out and bought that guitar from Manny’s in New York. I might actually send that to Fender and have them come up with the story of how it was made and why it was made that year… because it was not a normal kind of Strat.”

On August 27 of that year, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble played as support act to Eric Clapton at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin. The show climaxed with an all-star jam. Shortly after, Stevie joined three members of Clapton’s entourage in a helicopter bound for Chicago. In foggy conditions, the helicopter crashed half a mile from its take-off point, killing all onboard.

As Chris Layton solemnly recalls, “The night he died, we spoke for an hour about what was next. Stevie said that he and Jimmie were going to do some stuff to promote the Family Style record, and then he said, ‘I’m really excited because once we’re done with that, I’ve got a bunch of ideas that, I hope I don’t freak you out – but I’m hearing strings and brass and a whole different bunch of shit compared to what we’ve done in the past!’

“He was really jazzed about it and wanted us to be, too. These were just ideas pouring out of him and I couldn’t wait to hear them. Then he got on that helicopter and took off. I think that’s the best insight of knowing where he was going… and the future that never happened.”

Chris has so many great memories from the years he spent with Stevie. What he remembers most of all is a man who lived for playing guitar. “Stevie had a guitar in his hand most of the time,” he says. “He’d always be sat there playing away, but not rehearsing or anything. He was just always strumming that guitar. That’s what was amazingly pure about him. Playing guitar was his life.”

Nile Rodgers has opened up on his ill-fated collaboration with John Mayer, which failed to get off the ground after the pair exchanged their favorite albums with one another.

Rodgers’ collaborative credits reads like a who’s who of the upper echelons of the music world. Over the years, the funk guitar maestro has worked with everyone from David Bowie and Sister Sledge, all the way to Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Dianna Ross, Mick Jagger and many more.

Rodgers has never worked with Mayer, though – but that’s not for a lack of trying. As he tells Vulture in a new interview, Rodgers once set his sights on a collaboration with Mayer, but it fell apart before it picked up any steam.

As Rodgers explains, he was interested in getting to know artists “through their taste in art” by exchanging albums. It was a practice he learned from working with David Bowie on Let’s Dance, during which the pair spent time in libraries, exploring “different artistic concepts”.

Bowie and Mayer proved to be two completely different prospects, though, and Rodgers’ idea of album-swapping ended up doing more harm than good.

“I actually tried this once with John Mayer, and it went totally sour,” Rodgers admits. “He turned me onto his favorite record, which was Coldplay’s first album, Parachutes. I thought it was cool, but I gave him the Rolling Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties Request, which I think is the most underrated rock-and-roll album of all time.

“It didn’t work with John. It’s weird, too, because John might be one of the smartest people that’s ever walked this Earth. Those first two days we got along like brothers, but then after we did the album thing, it was like, ‘This isn’t happening.’”

Mayer clearly wasn’t a fan of Their Satanic Majesties Request – but, then again, neither were the Stones themselves. In fact, as Keith Richards once admitted, they didn’t even want to make it.

“None of us wanted to make [the record],” he wrote in his memoir (via Guitar Player). “But it was time for another Stones album, and Sgt. Pepper was coming out, so we thought basically we were doing a put-on.”

The Stones’ daring foray into the world of psychedelic music isn’t short of critics, and it seems Mayer was one of them – so much so that the thought of working on music inspired by it was enough to put him off a potential collaboration with Rodgers.

And who can blame him – especially if he was religiously spinning Yellow at the time…

David Bowie's Let's Dance is a masterclass in guitar production. Aside from featuring both Nile Rodgers and the then-little-known Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar, the rhythm guitar parts in the verses are now immediately recognizable due to their trademark delays – a happy accident courtesy of engineer Bob Clearmountain.

Yet the genre-blending, post-disco hit started its life on an acoustic 12-string guitar with only six strings.

“I was staying at his [Bowie's] house in Switzerland, and frankly, I was asleep,” Rodgers recounts in an interview with the Victoria and Albert Museum.

“He walked into my bedroom, and he says, ‘Darling, I think this is a hit.’ And I went, ‘Oh, cool man, let me hear it.’ And he starts playing something that's going like [vocalizing a rhythm part]. He's playing it on a folk guitar, a 12-string guitar with only six strings on it.

“I go, ‘David, what do you call that?’ ‘Let's Dance.’ ‘Why do you call it, Let's Dance?’ And he had this really complex concept of dancing – the dance that people do in relationships... lengthy explanation. I was like, ‘David, I come from dance music. Can I do an arrangement?’

“So I wrote out an arrangement for two guitars, bass, and drums, because I knew that if the vibe was in the rhythm section, that's all I needed to hear. I easily knew that I could put strings or whatever on top of that if I wanted to, but if the funk was in the basic groove, we had something.”

He continues, “And we get to the recording studio, which was owned by the band Queen. It's called Mountain Studios, and I count the song off, and we do the little dominant pyramid thing [referring to the song's intro]. As soon as we played that pyramid and I played it first, I scream and go, ‘Woo,’ or something like that, and I could tell right away that it's a smash.

“David was really happy, and I remember this like it was yesterday. I said, ‘You think this shit is happening? Wait till you hear my guys play it.’ Because I knew once we got back home, and it was the people that I played with playing my arrangements, it was going to be killer.”

As for his own relationship with Bowie, Rodgers waxes lyrical, “He gave me some of the best musical times of my life. It was just a joy working with him. His unbridled enthusiasm for a project was contagious, to say the least, and his unshakable belief in the potential of the song, Let's Dance, prophetic.”

However, he does admit that the working relationship was also complicated, due to one specific reason: “All I wanted for him was super success, and David seemed to want me to work against that principle. He wanted me to make a record that was not super accessible.

“He wanted it to be more avant-garde," he divulges. “David was paying for the record with his own money, which was amazing to me. He had no record deal. I gotta get this right. And, ‘David, please believe me, when these people who are going to come in and bid for this record [to] hear it, we got to knock them off their seat.’”

Rodgers recently added another mega-act to his star-studded list of collaborators – Coldplay, with whom he collaborated on their latest album, Moon Music.

This month, I’d like to talk about the paramount importance of the right, or pick, hand – how it’s the keeper of time and the thing that gives us the groove while we play.

I’ll demonstrate some examples and practice tips for you to work on to help develop your strumming technique.

When it comes to strumming, I subscribe to the “steady motor” method, keeping my hand in perpetual motion, in an unbroken down-up “pendulum” pattern, most often in a 16th-note rhythm, even when I’m not hitting every 16th note.

As shown in Figure 1, I’m strumming steady 16ths in an alternating pattern while dampening all of the strings with my fret hand.

In Figure 2, I apply this strumming technique to a chord progression. Notice that, in bar 1, on beat 2, I strum G5 and let it ring for the equivalent of three 16th notes as my hand keeps moving before striking the chord again. In bar 2, I switch to eighth-note accents on beats 2 and 4.

In Figure 3, the technique is applied in a funk context. Here, I repeatedly strum a G9 voicing, interspersed with muted-string accents.

In all three examples, my right hand is doing the same thing, moving down-up-down-up in 16th notes, which may be counted “1-ee-and-uh, 2-ee-and-uh, 3-ee-and-uh, 4-ee-and-uh.”

Any note or chord that falls on a downbeat (“1,” “2,” “3” or “4”) or eighth-note upbeat (“and”) is sounded with a downstroke, and anything that falls on the second or fourth 16th note of the beat (“ee” or “uh’) is caught with an upstroke. This way, I never have to think about my strokes, as the continuous motion will make those decisions for me.

Are there times when I’ll change my strumming approach for a unique musical situation? Absolutely – this is just a general guideline.

When moving my hand like this, I don’t always strum the strings, even though the down-up motion is constant. There are three sounds that you can get: a chord (or note), a muted-string accent (“x”), or nothing at all – silence. In funk-style music, the most effective rhythm parts combine notes, chords and dead-string accents with space, which together create the desired syncopated rhythms.

Figure 4 illustrates an example of this. On beats 1 and 3, I sound C9 on the downbeats and on the last 16th-note upbeat (“uh”). On beats 2 and 4, the downbeats are silent while the muted-string accents through the rest of the beat are strummed in steady 16ths. In those holes of silence, my right hand is swinging over the strings without touching them.

I learned a lot about rhythm guitar from listening to and watching Nile Rodgers and Prince play, and also chatting with Nile about rhythm guitar techniques.

Figure 5 offers an example of a chord progression played in Rodgers’ rhythm style. For my tune Cosmic Sans, the main chord progression is Em11 - Cmaj7 - A7 - F#m7b5 - B7#5.

If I were to strum a full barre-chord voicing for each chord, it would feel too “chunky.” Instead, I do what Nile advised me to do – “Fret the whole chord form, but only sound parts of it at certain times, moving your right hand from the lower to the higher strings; that will add clarity and definition.”

Nile will often move back and forth between full chords and smaller voicings, as in Figure 6. His tunes Good Times and Le Freak are great examples of this.

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

With Chic, bassist Bernard Edwards brought a new sophistication to late-'70s disco with hits like Le Freak and Good Times, songs propelled by his stylish funk basslines and guitarist Nile Rodgers' signature chicken-scratch sound.

Rodgers and Edwards, who co-founded the group, also went on to write and produce hits for others, including the 1979 smash We Are Family for Sister Sledge and I'm Coming Out and Upside Down for Diana Ross.

For bassists, Edwards – who died in April 1996 after collapsing onstage – is an icon. He elevated the role of the bass guitar with articulate, well-thought-out bass parts, deep musicality, and a distinctive playing style that became an integral part of the band's unique sound.

Speaking to Bass Player in 2016, Rodgers said Chic worked hard to create that sound. “We analyzed the Brothers Johnson and Rufus with Chaka Khan, and we decided we needed to have a sound that people knew was Chic when they heard it. We spent a great deal of time working on that.”

For inspiration, Edwards would also turn to Motown's James Jamerson, Atlantic session great Jerry Jemmott, and Larry Graham, Sly & the Family Stone's slap-and-pop pioneer.

Rodgers also remembered other musicians checking out Edwards' unusual playing style. “When we were on the tour with the Brothers Johnson, I used to see them standing at the side of the stage and going, ‘How is he doing that?’”

“He played with his forefinger and thumb, like he was holding a pick. The strength of the low-end came from his thumb on top and the other three fingers curled up underneath, so he'd strike the string with the bottom and top of his finger. He had the fattest pick you could ever imagine!”

“Bernard's fingers would often bleed. If we played a two- or three-hour show, the blood would be dripping down the bass! But that's just how he played.”

Duran Duran's John Taylor was just starting out as a musician when he became aware of Bernard Edwards. “The first time I really heard bass was on Chic's Everybody Dance,” said Taylor in the January 2008 issue of Bass Player. “His bass playing was melodic, energetic, and it just made me feel good.”

Everybody Dance opens with a bombastic four-bar bass theme, which clips along at a brisk, 16th-note pace. Remember, Edwards didn't employ the normal fingerstyle technique of alternating the first two fingers; instead, he held his thumb and index finger together as if he were holding a pick, alternately striking the string with the top and bottom of his index finger.

Whether you try this potentially painful approach or use a soft pick, keep the alternation steady so your downstrokes hit the downbeat eighth- and 16th-notes while your upstrokes handle upbeats.

During the song's breakdown and outro, Edwards took a syncopated quarter-note line and went off, with breakdown variations on the first half of the four-bar phrase. Remember, this is cruising along at 130 beats per minute!

“I don't like to get too note-y, and my part is usually a reaction to a rhythm of Nile's,” Edwards told Bass Player in 1992. “He'll start playing a chord and I'll pick up on the rhythm. A lot of times there's no melody, so I have total freedom as to what I'm going to play. I'll come up with a line, and then we'll write around it.”

Edwards told Bass Player that he felt Good Times would be the song that Chic would be remembered for. “My main role was to keep the bottom there, to keep the groove solid and steady. I play a lot on the E and A strings, and I stayed down at the first five frets for a fat, chunky sound.”

The punchy root notes and tight syncopation on Good Times helped launch a whole new genre of music, when Sugar Hill Records' house band copped the groove for Rapper's Delight. It also inspired Queen's John Deacon, who went on to write Another One Bites the Dust.

But what really makes Good Times merit its classic status was the song's more modest concerns of making people happy on the dance floor. And the bassline conveys the point almost better than the song's lyrics.

Guitar World's December 1990 issue was dedicated to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who was tragically killed on August 27 of that year in a helicopter crash.

The accident came just as Vaughan was in the midst of a new ascendancy. Having kicked the substance abuse problems that dogged him throughout the mid-'80s, the guitar hero had returned to the limelight in grand style in 1989 with the classic In Step album.

At the time of his death, Vaughan was preparing for the release of Family Style, a long-planned collaboration with his brother, fellow Strat-slinger Jimmie Vaughan. Manning the boards for that album was another Strat legend, Nile Rodgers.

Rodgers first encountered Vaughan in 1983, when the latter was hired to lend some Texas blues attitude to what would become David Bowie's most commercially successful album, Let's Dance.

A number of circumstances led to the eventual souring of Vaughan's relationship with Bowie, but he remained fond of the funk guitar legend, and indeed the two worked well together on Family Style.

Rodgers was one of many guitar greats who Guitar World reached out to after Vaughan's death to share their memories of the guitar hero, and the magic of his playing.

The Chic man recalled the fun times he had working with the Vaughan brothers on Family Style, and looked back with some wonder on Stevie Ray's final session.

“Doing the record with Jimmie and Stevie was such a joy because the three of us felt so connected,” Rodgers told Guitar World. “I wanted the record to reflect how we were enjoying being together, so I asked them to keep the themes of the songs light and fun.

“I had to stress that to Stevie a couple of times: ‘Don't write anything too heavy, Stevie, save that for later.’ So what happens? Jimmie and I go and write Tick Tock, which is a pretty heavy song. And then on top of that we gave that to Stevie to sing! He thought that was pretty funny.

“As he was singing Tick Tock, I became so thrilled at hearing his warmth and compassion come through him as a vocalist,” Rodgers continued. “He was very shy about that, because that meant putting his guitar down and letting his voice do all the emoting.”

That said, after reviewing the tune with fresh ears as the album was just about complete, Rodgers felt that it needed more than just Stevie Ray's vocals.

“Weeks later, I listened to the song and became concerned that we didn't have his guitar on it, so I called him and said, ‘Uh, Stevie, I think we need a little guitar from you on the song. Maybe just play little spots of notes like B.B. King,’” he recounted.

“Stevie hopped on a plane and flew in to do literally 20 seconds of notes. What he played was so concise and dramatic, well, it just blew me away. That was the last thing he recorded for the record.”

Aside from his decades-spanning work with Chic, Nile Rodgers’ Midas touch in guitar playing and production has led him to collaborate on an endless list of earworms by the likes of David Bowie, Madonna, Diana Ross, and Daft Punk. Another mega-act that Rodgers recently added to his star-studded list? Coldplay.

“I happened to walk in the studio and they just asked me to join the circle, like, ‘Whoa, hey, great,’” Rodgers tells Grammy.com.

“So I had my guitar, walked in and started playing. That's unusual in today's world because rarely is the band there, and I happened to have my guitar. That was just a very sort of freak occurrence, and it wound up being cool.”

What transpired was the disco-inflected Good Feelings from last year’s studio album Moon Music, which features the Chic co-founder's signature guitar work – alongside guest vocals by Nigerian Afrobeats singer-songwriter Ayra Starr.

“The thing that makes my life exciting is the fact that I always feel like I'm ready. I drag my guitar with me everywhere. If somebody wants to write or perform, I'm down,” Rodgers says matter-of-factly.

“I learned years ago to not be afraid of failing or making a mistake or having people criticize it because that's sort of what music is all about. You definitely want to touch people's hearts, you want to get some kind of emotional response; most of the time you want them to like it.”

2024 was also the year of another album that Rodgers was credited on: Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, recently crowned Album of the Year at this year’s Grammys. He contributed his guitar chops to the track Levii’s Jeans, which was itself nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Gotham bass vet Jerry Barnes has bestowed his deep-pocketed dexterity upon Chic since the untimely death of groove god Bernard Edwards in 1996 – more than twice as long as the original band existed. But that didn't stop founder Nile Rodgers from breaking out in a smile onstage recently, when Barnes launched into Everybody Dance.

“I had been playing the bass part my own way, at the 7th fret,” Barnes told Bass Player. “But then I saw a video of Bernard Edwards playing it at the 3rd fret, using his ‘chucking’ technique, and I was determined to play it right – Nile picked up on that instantly.”

By now, the Chic backstory is near legend: after years of working in New York City clubs together, Rodgers and Edwards enlisted ex-LaBelle drummer Tony Thompson and two female vocalists to form Chic in dance-crazed 1977.

Emerging from the disco glare with something much more musically substantial and enduring, Chic released three smash albums in a row, and Rodgers and Edwards went on to produce artists like David Bowie, and Madonna.

But of all the Edwards plucked-'n'-chucked gems, Everybody Dance stands out, with blistering solo breaks extending from a bouncing ostinato. The nearly-seven-minute-long album version boasts maximum Bernard Edwards goods.

“Bernard came up with this opening bassline based on my original guitar part,” said Nile Rodgers. “Which I simplified after he started copying me because it sounded too busy with us both playing that style. It wasn't a bass guitar feature as much as it was the beginning of Chic's ‘breakdown’ style of songwriting.”

The song begins with Edwards’ drum-accompanied solo spot, utilizing his aforementioned ‘chucking’ technique. “Bernard would pinch his index finger and thumb together,” said Barnes.

“As if he were holding a pick, about midway between the neck and the bridge, and pivot with his wrist. The thumb would be further down his index finger, so what was striking the strings was his nail and fingertip; Nile said his finger would bleed onto his bass during long sessions!”

Edwards ‘chucks’ through the first two bars and for the Ab downbeat in bar 3, before switching to fingers for the A natural and the Bb's in bars 3 and 4 (including the pickup to bar 5). Note the open A's ghosted upon in bars 2 and 6.

At bar 9, the chords enter and Edwards reverts to a finger-plucked eighth-note-based groove, still with his trademark 16th-note pickups. This part continues through the first chorus.

At 02:59, the bass break returns, with Edwards developing the line, starting with his octaves and cool octave displacement. “Equally important to the pitches are the durations Bernard applies to different notes. Also key is the magical lock he had with Tony Thompson – they keep it tight, but relaxed at the same time.”

The vocal chorus comes back at 03:29, while Edwards remains in creative mode. High points include his reverse octaves and his ear-grabbing scamper up the neck at 03:46. He stretches out again underneath a new instrumental section consisting of doubled guitar lead lines by Rodgers and Eddie Martinez.

“What I dug most about Bernard's playing was the combination of originality and technique. He was influenced by bassists like James Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, Larry Graham, and Wilbur Bascomb, and like a lot of those guys, he used open strings in a cool way, including moving through them chromatically in flat keys.”

The outro includes the vocal chorus, with Edwards issuing his boldest step-outs yet. “I was blown away when I first heard it on the radio,” said Barnes. “This wasn't Weather Report or the Headhunters, it was a disco record! And Bernard plays so in the pocket that you don't take it as a feature. It's one of those tracks like Come Together or (For the Love of) Money; where the bass is the hook.

“Learn it slowly, and try to use Bernard's chucking technique in those sections. This level of playing deserves as much scrutiny as a work by Jaco or Coltrane. Try to really get inside the part and capture the honesty of it.”

In the same spirit, Rodgers concluded, “The overriding genius of Bernard is that he was one of the greatest organic, instinctual musicians ever.”

It wouldn’t be a celebration of the Fender Stratocaster’s 70th anniversary without speaking to one of its most iconic proponents about the Strat that has shifted so many units it is forever to be known as the Hitmaker

Here, Nile Rodgers of Chic explains what makes the Strat so special – and how he got turned onto it in the first place.

What first attracted you to the Strat?

“Somebody else playing through my amplifier and sounding better than me! [Laughs]”

What guitar were you using before the Stratocaster?

“That particular night when that incident happened, I was playing a [Gibson] Barney Kessel, it’s a wonderful jazz guitar, but it was feeding back at relative medium live volumes. You gotta remember this was 1973, and we were playing in a club, and we didn’t have a proper PA.

“All the music that would spill from the stage was the volume the audience would hear. And my jazz guitar would feed back, and when this kid plugged into my amp and played this Strat, his guitar did not feed back – and he was playing louder, better and cooler than me. I was like, ‘Whoa.’”

So you bought your Hitmaker Strat in 1973 in Miami, and it’s been your one and only, right?

“I never changed. I bought that guitar in 1973, and I’ve never changed since I had it. I still carry it on my shoulder to this day. And I’m 71-and-a-half years old.”

What was it about that Strat that attracted you?

“Where I’m speaking to you right now is from my studio here in Miami, just a few blocks from where I bought the guitar. I wasn’t particularly attracted to it for any reason other than the fact that it was the cheapest guitar in the store. I’m being perfectly honest. And when I traded in my jazz guitar, the guy gave me back $300. I got the Hitmaker and $300. That was the best deal I probably have ever made in my life.”

Talk about a return on investment.

“Man, you have no idea! [Laughs] It was like buying Bitcoin at 15 cents on the dollar.”

Once you had the Hitmaker, did it take you long to realize you had a special guitar?

“Shortly thereafter, one reason was that our shows got better right away. We [Chic] were opening for the Jackson 5; we only did a couple of shows for them standing in for the O’Jays, but those shows got better right away because, all of a sudden, I was able to play with a hell of a lot more confidence.

“Once I got the Strat, my partner Bernard Edwards basically took me into the woodshed and just started teaching me how to chuck. He said, ‘Man, with your harmonic knowledge, if you get this down…’ And I just was in there for hours and hours and hours every day, and when we got back on the Jackson 5 tour, we were killing it.”

Is it safe to assume the Hitmaker all but shaped what would become your signature style?

“Yeah, but the thing that’s really interesting, though, is that because I had already learned to play guitar on acoustics, mainly classical and jazz, my muscle memory was my arms being extended out over the guitar a bit because of the depth of an acoustic and the jazz box. So I had to re-adapt, not realizing that, in that re-adaptation, I was coming up with something that wound up making my chucking cooler.

“So by trying to make my arm not go out as far, I kept it pressed against the body of the Strat, thereby having the ability to lay my right hand across the bridge, which gave me further muting power. I could mute with my left hand and my right hand, and I developed a technique where I could play very complicated jazz voicings and classical voicing, which you could easily do by fingerpicking.”

How did the Hitmaker – being a hardtail and a little bit slimmer – impact things?

“My Strat is a unique instrument – it’s really one of a kind. It’s not only a hardtail but the thinnest hardtail I’ve ever seen. God knows I’ve tried to buy hundreds to see if I could get another one. God forbid this one broke; what was I gonna do? Because that sound uniquely is my sound.”

Hardtail Strats were rare back then, too.

“I only realized it was that special once I played it and then tried to play other Strats, and I was like, ‘Wait a minute… What is this?’ And then someone said to me – and it’s really hard because people tell you stuff, and you take it as the gospel – but they said to me, ‘Hardtail Strats are hard to find because out of every 100 Strats they make with whammy bars, they only made one hardtail.’

“To me, that was the gospel. So I went around looking for other hardtails, but none of them were as thin as mine. Then I meet guys who are super-aficionados, like Richie Sambora, and he says, ‘Nile, that’s not just a regular Strat; that’s a Mary Kaye, and it’s a hardtail.’ And I’m like, ‘How could you… say that? They would have had to have made 100 Mary Kayes and then do one hardtail.’

“He said, ‘I’m telling you, there are Strats that are that thin.’ So I don’t know what the hell it is, and I’m tired of all the folklore. All I know is mine is awesome, and it’s the only one. [Laughs]”

Did you modify the Hitmaker right away?

“I modified it the day I got home because I used to be a guitar repairman. I don’t remember what color the Strat that I bought was, and it’s amazing that I can’t remember. But I was probably so zealous about changing it because I played a jazz guitar. I love jazz guitars with a sunburst finish, but I hated solidbody guitars with sunburst finishes.

“So I made it white like Hendrix, so the finish that’s on my guitar, even though it’s deteriorated somewhat since 1973, I did it myself. I used to work at a shop on 48th Street [New York City], and my guitar repair impresario was a guy named Giuliano Balestra. Giuliano and I painted it; we only put one coat on the guitar because I wanted to paint it antique yellow like Jimi’s as quickly as possible. And that’s it; I’ve never tried to fix it up and make it look any better.

“I actually wanted it to appear to be the age it was because I bought it in ’73, but it’s a ’59/’60 Strat, so it already had ‘age’ when I bought it. I wanted it to weather quite quickly, or at least have a weathered look, because that was the vibe back in those days.”

And then there’s the unique speed knobs and pickguard.

“I put on speed knobs because, in those days, there were a lot of songs where the guitar had to cry. I didn’t have enough money to buy a volume pedal, so we would do it with our fingers. I would just put my pinky down and fool with the tone or the volume control, whichever one sounded the closest to whatever song I was playing.

“And I put on the reflective… it’s almost comical, but I put the reflective plate on it. What was cool is that when I put that plate on it, playing for an audience – especially in small nightclubs – you would be lucky if they had a little spotlight on you. But if they did, you could move the guitar and shine it in a cute girl’s face. [Laughs] It was my silly little show business way of trying to meet girls. And it worked. It was actually pretty effective.”

What does the Hitmaker mean to you?

“Everything. It’s my life, my competition tool and my performance tool. I’m doing a film score today for a John Malkovich film, and even though I have a keyboard next to me, in the old days, I used to do all my scoring on a keyboard, but now, I can hear it on guitar. I can play my full arrangements on guitar, and I could write out the score with just my Strat.

“It’s just a great tool to have something that is friendly; I mean, really, my Strat feels like my best friend when it comes to music. And I’m confident I could perform any kind of job, even if I’m working with someone that they ultimately don’t like what I did. That’s okay; I go into any musical situation fearlessly.”

Syncopation is a musical term directly associated with rhythm. In short, syncopation is where rhythms tend to fall on and utilise the off-beat, rather than landing on the stronger on-beats. This approach helps to create interesting rhythms, adding musical tension to the flow of a piece of music.

One genre of music synonymous with syncopation is funk, where 16th-note patterns are used to create rhythmic displacement and interest. The use of 16th notes, or semiquavers as they are commonly known, give musicians an extra palette of beats to exploit.

Rather than having eight beats to play with in each bar, counted as 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + within a regular bar of 4/4, further subdividing these into 16ths creates a feel of 1e+a, 2e+a, 3e+a, 4e+a. This gives the musicians 16 beats to play with in each bar, allowing for greater rhythmic flexibility.

An example of a guitarist who revels in this style of playing is Nile Rodgers. Nile is
a master at constructing syncopated guitar rhythms be it for Chic’s I Want Your Love, Diana Ross’ I’m Coming Out, David Bowie’s Let’s Dance or Sister Sledge’s We Are Family.

Cory Wong is a modern-day funk influencer, with his tight, syncopated 16th note rhythm gaining many fans.

The key to playing funk guitar is to keep your strumming hand loose and relaxed, while maintaining a consistent up and down motion. The ideal is to strum the strings on the required beats within your 16th-note pattern.

This technique is a standard method for playing rhythm guitar as a whole, where the constant up and down movement of the strumming hand works like a metronome, helping to keep you in time.

When using this technique to play 16th notes, the e and a beats will land on up-strokes, while the down beat and + will land on down-strokes. Maintaining this for an extended period of time can be tiring at first, so it’s important not to tense your strumming hand, but keep it as loose as possible.

This same approach can be used when playing single-note syncopated lines, once again helping you to stay in time and locked in with the groove.

The following examples and study piece showcase a number of different 16th-note patterns. I have included the strumming and picking patterns for all of the tab and notation to show which beats should fall on either a down or upstroke.

If you are unfamiliar with this style of playing, you could start by strumming a single chord using straight 16ths, getting used to how it feels, where some beats land, and also those where the plectrum bypasses the strings.

Crack your funk chops and it will add a new layer to your playing, because rhythm is one of the most important but sometimes neglected elements of guitar playing.

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 2, Bass 4, Middle 5, Treble 6, Reverb 3

A clean tone is a must for most funk. Many players opt for neck pickup or positions 2 or 4 on a Stratocaster, but a Tele‘s both pickups on, or both pickups together on a humbucking guitar, all work well.

A compressor pedal can be useful to even out dynamics, but care is required with the settings as well as use of delay; too much (or not being in time) can create confusion.

Playing examples

Example 1

This single-note line involves playing a combination of pitched and ghost notes (where the pick glances over the strings but without sounding actual notes). Keep a constant 16th-note picking pattern with a slight rest at the end of each bar. Don’t lift the pick too far off the strings or you’ll lose strumming efficiency.

Example 2

Ghost notes are removed here, where the emphasis is on the off beat, requiring lots of up strokes (and silent down strokes). Aim for consistent timing and fluency.

Example 3

A single A7 chord is the basis for this example, which is played in suitably syncopated fashion. Keep your strumming hand loose and follow the picking directions, making sure that you lock in with the groove.

Example 4

Double-stops feature in this example. Ensure that you avoid or mute the rest of the strings to keep the sound clear and concise.

Example 5

A series of A dominant chords makes up this final example. Play as clearly and fluently as you can, muting any unplayed strings and keeping your strumming hand loose. Avoid needless flailing, which destroys strumming efficiency and can disrupt your timing. You might want to watch your rhythm hand to see how you’re doing.

Alfie Templeman is using his polymathic approach – including prog, jazz, pop, R&B and rock – to create sounds that are not just highly listenable but diverse. The 21-year-old from Bedfordshire, England, has achieved 300 million streams for his 2022 debut album, the pop-banger-meets-indie-rock Mellow Moon.

Templeman says he has one single goal: “To be an unpredictable artist.” He explains: “The only way to do that Is to go outside of my comfort zone. I just love creating and trying new things.”

His passion for music blossomed as he listened to his dad’s Yes, Rush, Genesis and King Crimson records – not the usual fare for Gen Z guitarist; but neither is his output, including his funky, poppy, boundary-pushing sophomore album Radiosoul.

“I’ve always loved pretty much every genre of music there is,” Templeman says. “I’ve messed around recently with more sounds and styles that I’d wanted to explore in the past, rather than doing a 180.” He adds: “I’m a lot jazzier now. When I solo, I take bigger risks rather than sticking around pentatonic a lot.”

While songwriting and production are leading interests, it’s fundamentally about playing. “Guitar came in thanks to my dad,” he says. “I was about seven or eight; I didn’t care for it all at first – I just wanted to play drums! But guitar quickly became the most important thing in my life.”

He kept at it with a budget-friendly yet handsome turquoise Squier Strat, getting his first professional booking in 2018. “I can’t even tell you how much that Squier changed my life,” he beams. “Strats have always felt perfect for me to play.” He doesn’t limit himself to one style of guitar, though. “If it sounds good, I’ll muck around with it,” he says.

Templeman is jazzed about new songs like Beckham, which he says is “unique” and “true to the way I write songs. I wrote 75% of the songs before running into the studio, but we really made them explode by recording spontaneously and preserving the energy in the studio”.

He doesn’t overthink his solos, though. “A good solo in a pop song is wicked as long as it’s written well,” he says. “Shredding for the sake of it is a bit rubbish; but a melodic solo that you can hum note for note is what I’m all about.”

What’s the toughest part about being a young gun in the game today? “Social media,” he says. “I just want to create, and sometimes, the anxiety from the internet is a buzzkill.” He’s amassed nearly 150,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok – not that he’s especially enthused about it.

“I don’t like the amount of time I spend making TikToks; I don’t even do much,” he admits. “One positive is it means anyone can promote themselves without having to pay tons of money. But as someone who came up on the scene pre-TikTok, it doesn’t really work for me too much.”

Another selling point on Radiosoul is a guest appearance from Nile Rodgers on Just a Dance. “Nobody does rhythm guitar like Nile,” Templeman says. “I went to Miami to put it together with the man himself, and I learned so much about his process and how he writes hooks that never escape your head.

“I met him for the first time in early 2022. His music had been a massive part of my life growing up. I mentioned him once on Radio 1 to Clara Amfo, and the next day he tweeted at me, telling me to get down to Abbey Road right now.

“I got on the train from Bedford, and we hung out in the studio eating Nando’s and listening to my tunes. He was so incredibly humble, and I was so incredibly nervous I could hardly eat my peri-peri chips!”

He continues: “A year later, I flew to Florida to link up with him again. I’d had this bassline brewing in my head for years and wanted to show him. We had a few days to mess around in a studio and put something together.”

The impact of Templeman’s collaboration with Rodgers remains to be seen; for now, it’s already a career highlight. “Just A Dance came about thanks, partly, to Bowie. Nile and I talked about his album Let’s Dance, and how the title track, on the surface, was designed to get people moving – though the song was actually about covering up your feelings.

“Just A Dance became such a nice, short song full of energy,” he says. “It has such a simple message: enjoy the now for a while; everything will be alright – it’s all just a dance.”

• Radiosoul is out now.

2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the iconic Fender Stratocaster, and to mark the momentous milestone, its maker has been celebrating with a string of celebratory releases.

These include vintage-inspired Player Stratocaster models, a forward-thinking American Professional II build and an ultra-futuristic Ultra Strat HSS, all of which pay tribute to an electric guitar that ushered in an evolution in guitar design.

Fender has also celebrated the occasion with Fender Stratocaster: 70 Years – an officially licensed book that traces the history of the model, including the birth of the design, early improvements, the CBS acquisition, the rise of the Custom Shop and more.

Written by Guitar Player contributor Dave Hunter, the book also contextualizes the evolving Stratocaster within the contemporary guitar industry and explores some of the Strat’s biggest champions, including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Dick Dale, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, and H.E.R.

In the book’s foreword, published exclusively on Guitar World, Nile Rodgers recalls how he found his iconic Hitmaker Strat, can be found below.

Fender Stratocaster: 70 Years – foreword by Nile Rodgers

It’s 1973 and I was asleep at a rundown ’50s-era motel in South Florida. Suddenly I was awakened by loud music emanating from a passing car.

My head hit the open drawer above me that housed my chocolate cookies. The stinky bed sagged and my butt hit the floor. This trio of mishaps ended my restless slumber. I left the motel to get an early breakfast and plan the rest of my day. The only diner within walking distance was equally abysmal. Everything was in tragic alignment. It felt like the beginning of the worst day of my life.

The night before, my Big Apple Band, which backed an R&B vocal group called New York City, had just played a Miami hotspot called The Castaways. New York City had a hit single called I’m Doin' Fine Now, so we were headlining.

Our opening act had a guitar player whose technical facilities were basic, but his guitar sound smoked mine. To make matters worse, he was playing through my amp. His guitar was a Fender Stratocaster and my guitar was a Barney Kessel, as back in those days I was more of a jazz and classical session player.

My partner was one of the greatest musicians of all time: a bassist named Bernard Edwards. He played a Fender Jazz Bass and would scream these words at me daily, “Get a Strat, motherf***er!” What finally convinced me to get a Strat was not his constant berating, but the great sound of an average guitar player in an opening band.

I was playing smash hit songs on my jazz box, but I knew our opening act’s guitar sound was better for my gig. No longer would I have to put up with Bernard’s screaming, because now I was going to buy a Stratocaster.

As I started my quest it hit me that I knew nothing about the Stratocaster on a player’s level, but I had a stable pop gig and wanted to do my best to keep it. A Stratocaster seemed to be the right tool for the right job.

I walked along Dixie Highway, the main drag for Miami pawnshops back then. The shops were flooded with all manner of guitars. So many were hung on the walls that it almost looked like a guitar crucifixion site. I was about to become one Stratocaster’s savior.

Since I knew nothing about the performance of the Stratocaster, I just went for the lowest-priced one. My heart broke as I handed my Barney Kessel over the counter to complete the trade. However, as soon as I pulled that Strat down from the dusty wall, sadness was instantly replaced with joy – and to my utter surprise, they gave me an additional three hundred bucks. I guess that was the difference in the pawnshop book value.

I ecstatically returned to my motel room and started to practice “chucking,” a technique where you continuously play 16th notes with the right hand while judiciously striking or muting notes with the left.

I practiced every minute I could. I shared a room with our band’s drummer. When he was around, I’d go into the bathroom’s shower so as not to disturb him. After a few weeks I emerged from the bathroom a funky new player. I could cleanly chuck anywhere on the neck and my Fender Stratocaster responded perfectly. Its tone was so consistent that I barely touched the “speed knobs” that I had put on to play crying sounds.

I don’t know what it is that makes my Strat so special. It’s thinner and lighter than any I’ve ever seen. I heard folklore from Fender aficionados saying that Leo Fender was the cheapest man that ever lived and that in 1959 he made a bad deal on a bulk buy of ash that turned out to be overpriced. 

To compensate, he squeezed a few extra bodies out of it, making them more slender than usual. Some people even mistake it for a Mary Kaye. I just know it fits me like a glove and back in that pawnshop in Miami fifty years ago the universe delivered me a Strat that changed my life!

I fell in love and I fell in love hard. It didn’t take long to realize why those who came before and after me, like Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Clapton, Kurt Cobain, The Edge, John Frusciante, Rory Gallagher, David Gilmour, Buddy Guy, George Harrison, Eddie Hazel, Buddy Holly, Ernie Isley, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Richie Sambora, Ike Turner, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Cory Wong, Ronnie Wood, and thousands of others – many of whom I went on to produce – felt the same way.

This was an instrument that changed and is still changing the world! Put a Strat in the hands of the right person and the possibilities are endless!

Fifty years have passed since I pulled that cheap guitar off that wall and it has never let me down. People know it today as “The Hitmaker” because it’s played on everything from thousands of live gigs to films, video games, and theatrical productions, and is responsible for over 500 million albums sold on the biggest recordings from CHIC, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Duran Duran, Daft Punk, Beyoncé, and countless others.

From Le Freak to Let’s Dance, Get Lucky, and Cuff It, people the world over know the sound of my Strat! After five decades, I still carry it slung over my shoulder in a gig bag. People freak out because they know it’s priceless, but to me it makes sense. I originally bought it to keep a gig, and in return it keeps me gigging.

With deepest gratitude, 

Nile Rodgers

• Fender Stratocaster: 70 Years is available now via Fender for $60.

Coachella festival-goers might have been surprised to spot Nile Rodgers riffing with K-pop group Le Sserafim this past weekend. While Rodgers initially appeared on stage without much fanfare, Le Sserafim gave credit to their special guest by giving him a shoutout, much to the delight of their audience. 

As befitting a Coachella performance, Rodgers brought his trusty signature 'Hitmaker' Strat with him, and contributed his signature chucking playing style to the track Unforgiven.

This is not the first time Nile Rodgers has worked with the K-pop group. He lent his expertise to Le Sserafim on the recorded version of the track, which went on to peak at number two on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart. This Coachella performance marks the first time the two collaborators performed their track live.

In an interview with Grammy.com, Rodgers spoke about what attracted him to collaborating with Le Sserafim on Unforgiven: “When I heard the song, I loved it. This may sound nerdy, but I love the fact that it seems like a lot of the K-pop that I'm hearing lately, the new music, [has] the harmonic changes. 

“The chord changes are a lot more interesting than what's been happening [in other music fields] over the last few years.  And that's made me excited, because I come from a jazz background, so to hear chord changes like that is really cool. They’re not afraid, which is great to me.”

The beloved Chic co-founder seems to be becoming the guest star of choice for artists performing at Coachella. Just last year, Rodgers joined Blondie onstage to perform their 1980 hit Rapture, as well as Debbie Harry's solo track Backfired. 

Blondie super-fans would know that Nile Rodgers and Blondie go way back. He produced Debbie Harry's debut solo album KooKoo, while Rapture was influenced by Chic's Good Time.

Nile Rodgers is gearing up for his “Nile Rodgers & CHIC” tour, which kicks off on May 18 at Wildflower Arts & Music Festival in Richardson, Texas, followed by a June and July leg in the UK and Europe.

Fender is celebrating a significant milestone in the history of the Stratocaster in 2024, as the world’s most famous electric guitar turns 70. And now it has commenced the celebrations with a star-studded cover clip of Jimi Hendrix’s Voodoo Child (Slight Return). 

It’s a rip-roaring, diverse take on the guitar hero’s classic, featuring an array of unique voices that are clearly intended to illustrate the Strat’s flexibility. 

The full list of featured artists includes Tom Morello, Nile Rodgers, Ari O'Neal, Mateus Asato, Rei, Tash Sultana, Jimmie Vaughan, Rebecca Lovell, Tyler Bryant and Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil. 

It’s quite the line-up – one that smartly shows the breadth and depth of the Strat’s use in the hands of both classic and contemporary artists from across the musical spectrum – albeit with a strong slant to rock, given the base material.

Yes, it’s a marketing clip, but we have to admit it’s a fun one – recalling the tag-team format of the Jackson Virtuoso Mega Shred video that we loved last year – albeit channeling one of rock’s most iconic guitar compositions in the process.

Hearing the different personalities adding new life to a very familiar lick is really inspirational, too – with a breakneck mix and rotating cast to hold your interest. 

Alongside the main jam, Fender has also filmed a host of clips, in which the artists involved discuss their own Strat stories. 

“I got my Stratocaster in 1973 when I realized that it was what my sound was missing, and once I did… it changed my life 1000%,” explains Rodgers, [as transcribed in the accompanying press release].

“I have been able to write the jazz-influenced dance-disco funk-pop songs that people have loved for decades – as well as rock, country, folk and EDM collaborations – thanks to my Strat.”

Rodgers rightly regards himself as something of a genre chameleon and highlighting the instrument’s flexibility seems to be a concerted theme of the 70th celebrations. 

Indeed, in our recent conversation with Fender’s EVP of Product, Justin Norvell, the exec also highlighted the Strat’s tonal and genre flexibility as the key to its long life. 

“You can play country, punk, metal, funk, blues, whatever on a Stratocaster,” reflects Norvell. 

“You sound like a Stratocaster. But you sound like yourself. You can hear Stevie Ray Vaughan, you can hear David Gilmour, you can hear any amount of people. And you'd be like, ‘I know who that is, but I also know it's on a Strat.’ That transparency and that beauty [means] it continues to be a relevant tool.”

The “Forever ahead of its time” tag certainly represents a smart angle from Fender: acknowledging the changing habits of players who are now much less concerned by the musical tribes and genre limitations that dominated the Strat’s first decades. 

It also nods to the evolving way we are using instruments. For instance, the rising amount of guitarists who are multi-instrumentalists and turn their hands to different tools as required by their productions.

The new clip follows the earlier debut of Fender’s 70th Anniversary Stratocaster line – a selection of new standard and custom shop iterations of the perennially popular electric. 

For more information on the 70th Anniversary celebrations of the Strat, check out our full interview with Justin Norvell and keep an eye on Fender.

Along with guitarist Nile Rodgers, the late Bernard Edwards helped define one of the most distinctive sounds of disco – the sparse, sophisticated, yet highly rhythmic groove of Chic. Much like the emergence of Sting's Police under the guise of punk, Edwards and Rodgers brought Chic out from under the glare of the disco lights to create something far more substantial and enduring. 

Such late-‘70s smashes as Good Times, Le Freak, and Everybody Dance, as well as the Chic-produced hits We Are Family and I'm Coming Out, were grounded by Edward’s 'chucking' bass technique, where he emulated holding a pick and then struck the strings with both nail and finger.

“Bernard was a guitar player before he played the bass guitar,” Nile Rodgers told BP. “But the last thing he wanted to be was a bass player who used a pick. So he played with his forefinger and thumb, like he was holding a pick. He’d strike the string with the bottom and top of his finger. The strength of the low-end comes from his thumb on top and the other three fingers curled up underneath, so he had the fattest pick you could ever imagine!”

In his lone Bass Player interview back in September 1992, Edwards revealed that his subtly sophisticated sub-hooks were mostly a reaction to the 'chicken-scratch' guitar parts of Nile Rodgers. “I consider the two of us a rhythm section, even without drums, because we keep so much rhythm going. My basslines are usually a reaction to his guitar rhythms.”

Rodgers later clarified: “What he didn't mention is he wouldn't start playing bass until I came up with something that he liked! If he played along, I knew the song was going to be cool because Bernard was ten times hipper than everyone else.” 

Le Freak, a 1978 hit from the album C’est Chic was written on New Year's Eve 1977, Rodgers recalled, “after Grace Jones invited Bernard and me to Studio 54. We weren't able to get inside, so we bought some champagne and went round the corner to my place to celebrate and jam instead. I came up with the riff because I was singing, ‘fuck off!’ To vent my frustration. We softened it to 'Freak Off!’ and then, remembering a dance craze at the time called ‘The Freak’, we arrived at ‘Freak Out!’ Bernard just started accenting the ‘Freak Out!’ part.”   

Relentless eighth- and 16th-note octaves were the disco norm at the time, but Edwards employed the octave as a stylish flourish. To usher in the verse, he plays an ultra-cool octave riff followed by a chromatic walk-up to the tonic. Note how the bass alternates between staccato downbeats and slides.

In the verse riff itself, Edwards used hammer-ons to mirror and embellish the guitar part, while continuing to incorporate the ‘Freak Out!' motif in his approach to the downbeat. “That subtle expressiveness with regard to note length and use of space is what Bernard's style was all about,” said Rogers. “We viewed every song as a linear journey, with a beginning, middle, and end – but what made the journey interesting was the different places we visited along the way.”

As with all Chic tunes, the rhythm section went in first and recorded live, using notated charts that allowed for vocal, string, and horn tracks to be added later. Edwards plugged his late-‘70s Music Man StingRay (with old roundwound strings) direct into the board. As co-producer, he was further able to shape his sound with the help of bass-playing engineer Bob Clearmountain, who mixed Chic's early albums. The part contains no punch-ins.  

After Chic split up in the early ‘80s, Edwards went on to produce Rod Stewart, Robert Palmer, and Power Station, with Rodgers doing the same for David Bowie, Madonna, and Duran Duran. In 1992, the duo reunited for Chic-ism. A new edition of Chic began playing sold-out shows across Japan in 1995. 

It was at the end of one of those tours, in 1996, that Edwards, weakened by cancer few knew about, succumbed to pneumonia at age 43. 

“At the last show of the tour, Bernard passed out during a verse of Let's Dance, and when the bass stopped it happened in such a hip place that I thought, ‘Wow, I wonder why we didn't do the record like that?’ He recovered and came in exactly six bars later. I turned around and gave him the thumbs-up, not knowing he had passed out! That's how he was; everything he did was musical.”  

Rodgers discovered Edwards’ body in his hotel room the next day. “Obviously it was a painful shock, but I quickly realised he went out the way he wanted: playing his music with his best friend.”

A fierce funk movement that developed during the thriving nightclub scene of '70s America, disco funk is a much aligned – and misunderstood – genre, perhaps best represented by the infamous Studio 54 in Manhattan. 

Unlike earlier funk, this music was much more heavily produced, and more costly, too, with the addition of lush string sections and more complex arrangements. Here, I'll be delving into the styles of three of disco funk's most influential champions: Nile Rodgers, Claydes Charles Smith and Al MacKay.

One of the most prolific funk guitar players known for this style is Nile Rodgers. Best known for his work with Chic and Sister Sledge, Rodgers' incredible career as an artist, producer and writer has seen him sell cumulatively over 100 million albums. 

The incredible roster of artists in his production back catalog include Madonna, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Jeff Beck, Duran Duran and Daft Punk. His instantly recognizable style draws upon jazz and R&B, with multi-layered lines that are put together with impeccable feel and timing. 

Claydes Charles Smith is not a household name, but his work with the multiple platinum-selling Kool & The Gang was a continuation of the James Brown school of part writing, mixed with a jazz sensibility that drew on influences such as Wes Montgomery and George Benson.

His style uses octaves, syncopated single-note lines and choppy partial chords, all of which created the rhythmic backbone of a string of iconic songs spanning early funk, classic '70s disco and '80s pop.

Al MacKay was part of hit-making legends Earth, Wind & Fire, a band whose music has spanned many different genres including R&B, pop, soul, funk, Latin and, of course, disco. 

MacKay helped pen classics such as September and Sing A Song as well as helping to write Best Of My Love for the Emotions alongside Maurice White. His signature style is all about shiny, jangly funk chords and overdubbed single-note lines. These are brought together with a slightly more complex harmonic sensibility and a penchant for effects such as phaser, chorus and digital delay. 

Example 1. Chic-style disco groove

The first example is a Nile Rodgers-style disco groove. Basic minor 7 chords are given a simple tweak by the addition of sus4 ad libs. Rodgers often targets string ‘zones’ (ie. bottom, middle or top), so you’ll rarely hear him play a succession of full six-string chords. 

This partial chord approach demands a more conscious and precise picking-hand movement, but will add more variation to your basic chord rhythms and also keep you out of the way of other instruments.

Example 2. Palm-muted 16th-note strumming

This idea is a throwback to the single-note lines of Jimmy Nolen (James Brown) with some Rodgers-style twists. This technique uses palm-muting, together with relentless 1/16th-note movement in the picking hand. It also uses a number of ghost notes on the open fourth string that are improvised in between the full mutes. 

Aim to think of these as quiet, unaccented notes – we don’t really want to hear the open D note with an obvious picked sound.

Example 3. Kool & the Gang-style idea

The ‘e & a 4’ rhythm on beat 3 of this riff is a classic Claydes Charles Smith device that’s good practice for your general rhythm skills. Try ghosting the initial downstroke in mid-air on the rest before the up strummed chord to help catch this in time. 

The end of bar 2 sees another of his favourite moves, from A9 to A9sus4/Em11 – note that the chords A9/E and Em11 are related to an E Dorian harmony, with the bass guitar holding down a low E. 

Example 4. Octaves with non-linear phrasing

High octaves are a classic disco-era device, and the simplicity of the shape allows for some interesting rhythms. There’s a cool phrase of three that gets recycled a few times here – check out the rhythm of the first three beats – in this Claydes Charles Smith-style line.

Odd, non-linear phrasing like this can really transform a simple idea, because the ear is so used to hearing groupings of 2, 4 and 8. Simple and yet complicated sounding; often a disco funk trademark!

Example 5. Jazzy Al McKay-style line

The next two examples are typical intro and verse ideas for a tune in the style of Earth, Wind & Fire. The first highlights their jazz fusion influence, with slash chords and Whole-Tone movement. 

Although MacKay usually only plays the upper triad from these chords, it’s worth exploring the ‘outside’ sound of the full shape. The E/D chord can be thought of as an alternative E7 chord, with the chord in third inversion (the b7 of E7 being the root note).  

Example 6. Lines in 3rds

MacKay uses a common funk principle of improvising with 3rds made up from chord tones (the D and Bm7, for example, both share the same chord tones of D and F#), plus another diatonic diad, either above or below the chord. 

The main challenge is being precise with the chord placements and mutes in all the correct places. That said, treat this like most of the funk grooves we’ve studied, where the picking hand is loose and not resting on the strings or body of the guitar.

Welcome to Guitar World’s weekly roundup of the musical highlights from the, erm, world of guitar. Every seven days (or thereabouts), we endeavor to bring you a selection of songs from across the guitar universe, all with one thing in common: our favorite instrument plays a starring role.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Pretty Boy (Robert Smith Remix)

What is it? A reimagined version of Noel Gallagher’s late-2022 single Pretty Boy, which has been masterminded by The Cure’s Robert Smith with the help of his bandmate and drummer Jason Cooper. Swapping electronic drums for Cooper’s “vibey drum track” – Smith’s words, not ours – The Cure frontman gives Pretty Boy a new lease on life, putting greater emphasis on the anthemic acoustic guitar strums, electric guitar embellishments and Gallagher’s now-delay-tinged vocals. 

Because of this arrangement, there’s also additional room for another new addition to proceedings: a noisy, gain-dripped guitar solo that turns Pretty Boy into a fully fledged rock speaker smasher.

Standout guitar moment: Smith’s treatment of the track makes it a totally new beast, but the drastic direction he takes things in is typified by that biting solo at the 2:50 mark, which packs a helluva punch going into the track’s closing stages.

For fans of: The Cure, Oasis, The Amazons

– Matt Owen

Rodrigo y Gabriela – Egoland

What is it? The Mexican duo have spent several decades exploring the depths of metal, classic rock and classical guitar styles, but their forthcoming album In Between Thoughts… A New World has a baked-in mission to stretch their musical horizons. Egoland does this in several ways, taking us through pacey wah-laden funk rhythms into barrelling Sergio Leone spaghetti western soundtracks.

Standout guitar moment: Rodrigo Sanchez’s lead section forms the centerpiece of the track. It smartly wrangles the cowboy licks into blues-y double stops and back into wickedly fast funk stabs in a way that leaves you struggling to spot the joins.

For fans of: Sergio Leone, Cory Wong

– Matt Parker

Eric Bibb – Ridin'

What is it? A tribute to the Freedom Riders of 1961, who traveled to the American South from cities in the north to protest segregation – meeting violence from locals, police and the Ku Klux Klan along the way – Ridin' reflects on the tragedies and injustices of the past, with a cautiously hopeful eye toward the present and the future.

Standout guitar moment: Bibb’s acoustic fingerpicking drives the song powerfully, and provides the perfect backdrop to Ola Gustafsson’s fiery slide work, which magnificently evokes the passion of the Freedom Riders, the righteousness of their fight and their cause, and the evil of those who stood in their way.

For fans of: Robert Johnson, Son House, Eric Gales

– Jackson Maxwell

Svalbard – Eternal Spirits

What is it? We’re a teensy bit late on this one, but Svalbard’s black-metal-meets-post-hardcore beatdowns on this new standalone single are unmissable. The blizzards of tremolo picking are anchored by meaty chugs and an anthemic edge that highlights the Nuclear Blast band’s sharpening of their metal blade.

Standout guitar moment: Yeah, it’s gonna be that triplet breakdown. Of course it is.

For fans of: Rolo Tomassi, Heriot, Isis

– Michael Astley-Brown

Rose City Band – Slow Burn

What is it? Formed around Wooden Shjips/ Moon Duo man Ripley Johnson and pedal steel player Barry Walker, Rose City Band’s latest single is a slide-laden slice of country psych taken from forthcoming album Garden Party. It’s warm, airy and will relax your shoulders following three months of winter hunching. 

Standout guitar moment: Walker clearly delights in threading in and out of Johnson’s earthy acoustic. In a fit of musical nominative determinism, the effect is sort of like a rambling rose, winding it’s way in and out of Johnson’s oak-y branches. Not to be outdone, Johnson also offers some killer roughed-up lead licks in his own wistful, countrified solo section.

For fans of: Moon Duo, Wilco

– Matt Parker

Beach Fossils – Don't Fade Away

What is it? It’s been six long years since Beach Fossils graced us with their last LP, Somersault, but now, the ever-underrated New York indie quartet are back with a new album, Bunny. Don't Fade Away is its lead single, and treats the hazy, modulated textures the band are known for to a lusher, more fully-realized arrangement.

Standout guitar moment: The single-note line that descends elegantly over the dreamy arpeggios in the song’s choruses has us absolutely swooning – spellbinding stuff.

For fans of: R.E.M., The Smiths, The Clientele

– Jackson Maxwell

Thunderpussy – Firebreather

What is it? Seattle’s Thunderpussy dropped their latest single on International Women’s Day, and it’s a proper fist-pumping anthem of the classic rock persuasion. With its stop-start guitar stabs and drum breaks, it recalls a certain flaming-hot jam by one James Marshall Hendrix, and that chorus is an absolute wailer – as is Whitney Petty’s guitar solo.

Standout guitar moment: Speaking of, that solo starts out so behind the beat that the track starts to trip out into psychedelic territory, but by the time the double-tracking comes in, you’ll find yourself humming along with gusto – always the mark of a good lead.

For fans of: Deap Vally, Emily Wolfe, Blues Pills

– Michael Astley-Brown

Skating Polly – Hickey King

What is it? Oklahoman step-siblings Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse return with a buoyant and mosh-y ode to the misguided romantic habits of weirdly possessive indie rock dudes. 

It’s the first taster of their sixth album, Chaos Country Line (due June 23) – an ambitious 18-track collection that they’ve labelled their most honest and experimental record yet. Meanwhile, the video has an excellent From Dusk Til Dawn in a rock club sub-plot that ticks the requisite 90s boxes.

Standout guitar moment: There’s a few, but ultimately it’s got to be the false ending at about 2.40. Songwriters of the world: more false endings, please. Three in one song is not too many.

For fans of: The Coathangers, Veruca Salt

– Matt Parker

The Lathums – Facets

What is it? As far as debut albums go, The Lathums’ 2021 LP How Beautiful Life Can Be wasn’t half bad. In fact, the 12-track effort made such a stir, it reached top spot on the UK Album Chart. Now, the English indie rock outfit are gunning for a second number one record in a row with their sophomore album, From Nothing to a Little Bit More – and, if we’re being honest, we’ll be surprised if they don’t pull it off. 

The whole record is worthy of such an accolade, but individual shoutout must go to Facet, with its upbeat arpeggio hook, irresistible groove and a buzzsaw-like solo that takes the already-ridiculously-high energy level straight through the roof.

Standout guitar moment: Facet doesn’t take its foot off the gas for the entirety of its relatively speedy two-and-a-half-minute runtime, but The Lathums somehow find an extra ounce of energy with a blistering, fuzzed-up guitar solo at the 1:40 mark.

For fans of: Inhaler, The Snuts, DMA’s

– Matt Owen

Bartees Strange – Daily News

What is it? Last year, Farm to Table – particularly lead single Heavy Heart – bolstered Bartees Strange’s reputation as one of indie-rock’s brightest talents, but this outtake from the vinyl version of that album sees him make his mark on the post-rock world, too. Daily News is as blockbuster as Strange gets, full of ethereal guitar textures that build to a densely layered outro that rivals anything from instrumental titans such as Caspian or This Will Destroy You. But with saxophone.

Standout guitar moment: Those pitch-shifted licks in the mellow choruses are beautifully phrased and eloquently toned.

For fans of: Radiohead, Caspian, This Will Destroy You

– Michael Astley-Brown

Jonathan Bree – Miss You (feat. Nile Rodgers and Princess Chelsea)

What is it? A new collaborative single from Jonathan Bree, Princess Chelsea and funk maestro Nile Rodgers, which has been released under the former’s name. If you need tightly knit single-coil funk strums in this day and age, there are a few names that spring to mind, but Rodgers seems to stand just a few inches above everyone else. 

That’s exactly what you get here: uber-clean funk strums and even a hypnotically woven guitar solo that sees the Stratocaster master briefly branch out into the world of lead guitar for a handful of bars at the 2:00 mark.

Standout guitar moment: Rodgers’ rhythm powers are near-legendary, but it's his lead contributions that really stand out here, both for that previously mentioned guitar solo and the tasteful octave motifs that bring the track to a cose.

For fans of: The Brunettes, The Nudie Suits

– Matt Owen

Cafuné – Perspective

What is it? A snappy new standalone single from the NYC-based duo. Cafuné’s sprightly pop gem, Tek It, became a TikTok sensation last year, and the propulsive Perspective will show first-time listeners the qualities that made the internet fall in love with this band.

Standout guitar moment: Beautiful six-string textures abound on this tune, but that catchy, evocative opening riff will hook you right in from the get-go. 

For fans of: Death Cab for Cutie, Paramore, Broken Social Scene

– Jackson Maxwell

It was a successful evening for guitar-based artists at the 65th Grammys ceremony this past Sunday (February 5), with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Bonnie Raitt, Edgar Winter, Wet Leg, Madison Cunningham and Molly Tuttle all scooping awards.

And though the event was dominated largely by pop artists – including Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Adele, Kendrick Lamar and Lizzo – a number of six-string-wielding artists also received Lifetime Achievement Awards.

They included Nirvana, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson and Nile Rodgers, who were given the accolade alongside Bobby McFerrin, Ma Rainey, Slick Rick and The Supremes.

Those presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys are recognized for their “creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording” throughout their careers.

Krist Novoselic, who accepted Nirvana’s award alongside Dave Grohl and the band’s touring rhythm guitarist, Pat Smear, recalled Kurt Cobain's quip that “teenage angst has paid off well," adding that Nirvana’s fan base continues to grow with each generation.

“I do fan mail – old-fashioned fan mail – and I get letters from around the world, like, [from] Nirvana fans,” he said. “A lot of young people. There’s a new generation of Nirvana fans and I’m just very grateful for that.”

In his acceptance speech, Nile Rodgers said: “When I was informed by the Academy that I was to receive this honor, I didn’t see this shit coming at all. I sincerely appreciate the hundreds of folks who've helped me get to this moment, and I know I can’t thank them all, because it would be longer than all the sequels of Star Wars combined.”

“In 1974, I followed my calling which pulled me out of my college dorm room to capture this dream I had with my sister since we were little kids,” Nancy Wilson said in her acceptance speech. “The dream was to be The Beatles. We followed our muse through the decades, we blazed a few trails and broke a few glass ceilings along the way for both men and women.”

Further highlights from the 2023 Grammys included Ozzy Osbourne winning Best Rock Album and Best Metal Performance for his 2022 album Patient Number 9 and single Degradation Rules (with Tony Iommi), respectively, and indie rockers Wet Leg winning Best Alternative Music Performance and Best Alternative Music Album with Chaise Longue and their eponymous debut album, respectively.

Nile Rodgers has revealed he’s working on new music in the studio with St. Vincent.

In a new social media post, the guitarist shares a black-and-white photo of the pair, with the caption: “Working on new music with St. Vincent.” He proceeds to label his new collaborator – real name Annie Clark – as the “real deal” and “f-ing wonderful”, adding that he’s “trying to not lose” his mind at the thought of working with her.

While St. Vincent herself has not yet posted any photos with Nile Rodgers, recent shots uploaded to her Instagram page show her at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

While the collaboration may, at first, seem unlikely, those who read an interview with Rodgers in Rolling Stone last year might have foreseen a partnership, after the funk rock legend waxed lyrical on his blossoming friendship with St. Vincent.

“Somehow she was introduced into my life only a few months ago,” he said. “I started to go back and listen to the work she had done with my old engineer and she started sending me some new stuff. I was like, ‘Wow! That’s really cool’.

“I would have never thought of using the guitar like that or composing like that and it was really interesting. It was very eclectic and she was using different ways of expressing herself, the fact that we’re vibing so much is interesting because just as guitarists we are very different. The fact she’s doing what she’s doing is really fascinating to me.”

In response to a question on whether he’d ever collaborate with St. Vincent, Rodgers said: “Yeah I probably would! Right now we’re just vibing, listening to each other’s music and talking. But that could easily develop into a musical relationship. Easily!”

The nature of the St. Vincent/Nile Rodgers collaboration is not yet clear, though is could be part of a broader upcoming project by Annie Clark.

Earlier this year, pop-punk star Willow revealed she was working in the studio with St. Vincent, posting an image of Clark patching cables, with a Fender Custom Shop Mike McCready 1960 Stratocaster in the foreground.

Nile Rodgers, Nirvana and Heart’s Nancy and Ann Wilson are all set to be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2023 Grammys. 

The ceremony is scheduled for February 4 and is due to take place in person for the first time since 2020. The list includes a diverse array of artists, including The Supremes (meaning Diana Ross joins a rare list of two-time inductees), Slick Rick, blues icon Ma Rainey and Bobby McFerrin. 

Chic guitarist and serial hit-making producer Nile Rodgers already has multiple Grammy awards, alongside inductions to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame to his name, so his inclusion is arguably overdue. 

Elsewhere, Nirvana will be honored for their role in sparking a “seismic shift in global youth culture” in the early '90s and returning “rock 'n' roll integrity and passion to the top of the charts.”

Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, meanwhile, are no poor relations – celebrated here for their mammoth rock anthems like Alone and These Dreams, both of which were Billboard number ones – though, shockingly, their galloping riff-fest Barracuda only got to number 14 upon its initial release. They also had a run of 10 top 10 albums in the ’80s, which remains the longest by a female-fronted band. 

All the honorees will join a list of previous Lifetime Achievement Award winners that includes some of guitar music’s most iconic names – among them Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, Chet Atkins, Cream, Buddy Guy, George Harrison, Lightnin' Hopkins and the Rolling Stones.

In addition to the performers, the Recording Academy also issue Trustee and Technical Awards to individuals and organisations of particular merit. In 2023, this will include photography Henry Diltz, who shot Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and The Eagles, as well as landing the plum job of official photographer for the 1969 Woodstock Festival. 

Stax Records founder Jim Stewart is also honored for his role in bringing us Booker T. And The MGs, Albert King and many more, while Dr. Andy Hildebrand is celebrated for developing Antares’ groundbreaking auto-tune technology.

“The Academy is proud to celebrate this diverse slate of influential music people spanning numerous genres and crafts as our 2023 Special Merit Awards honorees,” says Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy CEO. 

“Each creator on this list has made an impact on our industry – from technical to creative achievements – representing the breadth of music’s diverse community. We’re excited to celebrate this group of legends next month that continues to inspire and shape the music world.”

The full Grammys ceremony takes place on February 4, 2023, at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. Head to the official Grammys site for more information.

Julien's Auctions is having one heck of a sale next weekend (November 11 - November 13).

We've already reported on the dozens of guitars Steve Vai is selling as part of it, plus Don McLean's Vincent Martin 00-21 acoustic guitar, and Kurt Cobain's played, smashed, and signed 1973 Fender Mustang, both of which are also being put under the hammer by Julien's that weekend.

Now, Julien's has added another five guitars to the sale, each of which were signed by performers at the two recent Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts.

First among the offerings is a Gibson Trini Lopez signature guitar – the longtime six-string of choice for Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl – that's been signed by Grohl, one-time Nirvana bass guitar player Krist Novoselic, and a number of other performers at the concert. 

A 2012 model, the guitar was signed at the second of the two Hawkins tribute concerts, at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California. The signed instrument also comes with a 360 degree digital representation of the guitar, packaged as an NFT.

As of press time, bidding for the guitar – which is valued between $6,000 and $8,000 – currently sits at $6,000.

Also on offer is a 2000s-era EVH Frankenstien replica signed at the LA Hawkins tribute show by performers including Grohl, Novoselic, Stewart Copeland, Kesha and Joan Jett.

Valued at between $3,000 and $5,000, the guitar also comes with a 360 degree digital representation packaged as an NFT. The current high bid for the guitar, as of this writing, is $3,500.

Also part of the lot is a 2021 Manson John Paul Jones signature bass that was signed – at the first of the Hawkins tribute shows, at Wembley Stadium – by Novoselic, Elliot Easton, Jones himself, and a number of others who played at the event.

The bass is also packaged with a 360 degree digital representation NFT, and is valued at between $3,000 and $5,000. Bidding for the four-string currently sits at $2,250.

Slightly different from the rest of the group is a Fender Nile Rodgers signature Hitmaker Stratocaster.

This particular Stratocaster doesn't feature any autographs at the moment, but Rodgers will – if the buyer so desires – sign the guitar personally to its new owner upon its purchase, and record a brief video message for them as well.

Valued at between $6,000 and $8,000, bidding for the Hitmaker sits at $700 as of this writing.

Last but not least is a 2022 Brian May Red Special guitar, signed at the Wembley show by performers including Grohl, Copeland, Kesha and Brian Johnson.

The Red Special has an estimated value of between $4,000 and $6,000, and also comes with a 360 degree digital representation NFT. Bidding for the instrument currently sits at $2,250.

The Icons & Idols: Rock ‘N’ Roll auction, to give it its full name, will run from November 11 through November 13 in person at New York City's Hard Rock Cafe and online.

For more info on the auction, visit Julien's.

Devin Townsend thrives on extremes. From his early ’90s breakthrough singing on Steve Vai’s Sex & Religion, to the brutalizing industrial death-thrash of Strapping Young Lad, to his coffee-centered prog opera Ziltoid the Omniscient, to the drone-heavy ambient daydream of last year’s Snuggles solo album, the Canadian eccentric isn’t known for staying in a specific lane for long. 

Townsend is just as predictably unpredictable on his 21st solo album, Lightwork, which may raise eyebrows from the metal faction of his fanbase over its grandiose, hard-swung power ballads (Lightworker), industrial biker rock (Dimensions) and cactus-scented, electro-acoustic strummers (Vacation).

“Sometimes people who aren’t familiar with my work assume I do these things to be provocative,” Townsend suggests of his many musical mood swings, “Like, ‘You know what would really throw a wrench in the works is if we do a dusty acoustic song.’ But it’s not that in the slightest.” The reason for the eclecticism is much simpler: Townsend just wants to try new things.

“It’s like eating steak all day. You wake up and have steak, and then have steak for lunch, dinner and before you go to bed. Man, don’t you get sick of meat after a while? Every now and then you have a big meaty meal, but other times you want some sherbet, or you have a cookie or eat a salad. Writing, for me, is the same – that’s just what I consider to be healthy, artistically.”

Townsend planned for Lightwork to be a straightforward, chill and ultimately optimistic-sounding affair. Structurally and harmonically, it often is. Behind the scenes, however, the record proved to be a challenge. 

While he began working on the record in early 2020, pandemic anxieties forced Townsend to pause the project and work through the chaos with his more free-form and moody The Puzzle. Later on, Lightwork sessions with producer Garth Richardson (Rise Against, Rage Against the Machine) were interrupted when a tree fell on the latter’s studio on the scenic Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, knocking out the electricity in the process. 

And even when Townsend thought he’d put the album to bed, he made a drastic, last-minute tracklist change this summer after finding out a song had to be scrapped over clearance issues.

“We had recorded this song called Honeybunch, which has this [melody] taken from Barbie Girl by Aqua,” he says, adding that his recontextualized take on the ’90s Europop hit also featured some funky guest fretwork from Nile Rodgers. “I thought the loophole was that if you re-record the sample, you could use it because it’s not their version. But it turns out that’s not the case!” 

Honeybunch may one day see the light of day, pending approval from Aqua. Its replacement on Lightwork is the decidedly chunkier Heartbreaker, a detuned outlier full of palm-muted riffery and prog-styled time shifts that had been intended to appear on Lightwork’s more experimental bonus disc, Nightwork. 

“It’s not the original vibe; however, on some level I think it makes it better for me,” he says of the sequencing shakeup, further noting, “I’m strangely thankful that at the last minute I got to complicate it a little bit.”

Whatever the direction, Townsend graced much of the record with his signature rainbow-coated Framus Stormbender, though he played a Sadowsky T-style for the out-of-phase constellation of bends he brings to Lightwork’s Heavy Burden. The record’s most empirically shredding solo, on Dimensions, comes courtesy of longtime collaborator Mike Keneally, whom Townsend gladly brought in to handle the lead.

“I don’t love playing guitar solos, but I think I’m good at them,” he says. “On the older records – [2011’s] Deconstruction, [2016’s] Transcendence or Ziltoid the Omniscient – there’s more ostentatious guitar parts on my side of things, but rarely do I think to myself, ‘Oh, this needs a solo.’ When I do, I usually do it [in the] first take.”

“My goal for a solo, rather than thinking ‘OK, what scale are we in?’ is to have the music crescendo with effort. So the solo, if I’m fortunate, is representative of that intent,” Townsend continues, concluding with pragmatic Zen, “And then [I] cut it and print it.”

• Lightwork is out now via Inside Out.

Slash was at a crossroads. By 1996, tensions in Guns N’ Roses had reached fever pitch, as Axl Rose sought to wrestle full creative control from his bandmates. The guitar hero had been distracting himself from his band’s forthcoming implosion by recording and touring new music under the Slash’s Snakepit banner, accompanied by GNR bandmates Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke. That group lasted two years, before it was put on the backburner in favor of Slash’s Blues Ball, a covers outfit that kept its namesake’s lust for live in check for another year.

Away from the GNR behemoth, Slash was restless. So when the offer came to join recently reformed disco-funk legends Chic for a guest spot at Japan’s legendary Budokan arena, he hopped straight on a plane.

On paper, it’s an unlikely pairing: Slash is known for ’80s rock’s quintessential overdriven solos; Rodgers for soundtracking the ’70s via the tightest, cleanest rhythm chops to ever grace a discotheque sound system.

Yet the pair had a prior connection that bridged any musical waters: Slash’s mom.

“Slash is like my brother from another mother,” Rodgers told Hot Press in 2017. “Actually, I was friends with his mom, Ola Hudson… She was always bragging about her young son, who was this incredible guitar player in a band called Guns N’ Roses but they hadn’t gotten a record deal yet. How quickly did that change?”

Slash and Rodgers’ musical paths would eventually cross on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino-produced crime flick Curdled, for which they co-wrote two tracks, but the Budokan marked their live performance debut.

Held on April 17, 1996, the event was dubbed JT Super Producer, celebrating Rodgers’ production prowess and Chic’s enduring legacy, and along with Slash, featured fellow collaborators Steve Winwood and Sister Sledge.

According to Rodgers, the GNR guitarist had two rehearsals with the group before he hit the stage for a series of cameos: most notably, an extended lead break on setlist opener Le Freak, and a cover of Jimi Hendrix classic Stone Free as the concert came to a close (he also featured on versions of the Spencer Davis Group’s Gimme Some Lovin’ and Winwood’s Higher Love, but these tracks didn’t make it to the eventual album release). On every occasion, says Rodgers, “he nailed it!”

Watching the footage back, it’s hard to argue. Given the briefest of introductions by Rodgers just seconds before he bounds onto the stage – we wish we could yell “Slash!” to make the top-hatted one appear at any given moment – Mr Hudson wastes no time in ripping his finest six-string yarns during Le Freak.

Hell hath no fury like Slash tearing through that minor pentatonic box, and no genre is going to hold him back. But as the guitar icon ventures up the fretboard, he eases off on the accelerator just enough to highlight the tasty passing notes between his held bends and syncopated doublestops.

As the lead fireworks come to an end, Slash stays onstage to hammer out Le Freak’s trademark riff with lashings of overdrive and plenty of Cry Baby. And, naturally, a few more lead breaks for good measure.

Rodgers would later describe Slash’s appearance at the show as “one of the proudest moments of my life”, and his guest star repaid the favor.

“He’s an absolute genius,” Slash would later say of Rodgers. “The biggest privilege of my life is getting to play with Nile Rodgers and Chic.”

Yet for all the celebration, the evening ended in tragedy. Bernard Edwards, Chic’s bass player and the man responsible for one of the greatest basslines of all time in Good Times, had been feeling unwell prior to the Budokan show. Rodgers had insisted they postpone, but Edwards persisted in performing, even blacking out at points during the gig.

“He passed out on stage and we revived him and he continued playing the show, which surprised the hell out of me,” Rodgers told The Guardian. “I didn’t even know he had passed out.”

After the concert, Rodgers checked in on how the bassist was feeling, to which he replied, “I'm fine, I just need to rest.” It would be the last time the musical partners spoke: Edwards died at the age of 43 later that night – Rodgers found his body the following morning when he failed to answer his wake-up call. Pneumonia was identified as the cause of death.

“I lost it completely. But I had to get it together because all my life he'd protected me, looked after me, and now I had to take care of him,” Rodgers told The Independent of the moment he found Edwards’ body.

“I turned from Nile Rodgers, partner of Bernard Edwards, into a guy doing a gig for people who care about the music. Bernard said the last night of his life, ‘The music is bigger than we are.’ So I'm not there to be me; I'm there to do the music.”

The live album Live at the Budokan eventually saw the light of day on February 23, 1999. The release was entirely unedited, including moments where Edwards stopped playing due to his illness.

Chic continue to tour today with new musicians, commemorating the band, Rodgers’ production magic and Edwards’ own legacy. And in 2008, Slash would even reprise his Le Freak guest appearance for a performance in aid of Rodgers’ non-profit organization, the We Are Family Foundation.

Despite the circumstances that immediately followed the concert itself, Live at the Budokan remains in many ways the ultimate celebration of Chic’s lasting impact on the world of popular music: a universal sound that’s bigger than life or death, and one that built a bridge between music of all genres – even the disparate tribes of ’70s disco and ’80s hard-rock.

Welcome to Guitar World’s weekly roundup of the musical highlights from the, erm, world of guitar. Every seven days (or thereabouts), we endeavor to bring you a selection of songs from across the guitar universe, all with one thing in common: our favorite instrument plays a starring role.

Standards – Smile

What is it? Fresh off its live debut during the band’s recent UK tour, Smile sees Aristides-toting two-hand tapping wizard Marcos Mena and drummer Cam Mitchell, erm, tap into the poppier side of their progressive repertoire. Consistent with the rest of Standards’ output, it’s hooky as hell – and we’re always down for virtuosity you can dance to.

Standout guitar moment: Mena’s nifty over-the-fretboard chord hammer-on and pull-offs, freeing up his right hand to tap out that irresistable chorus melody.

For fans of: Hikes, Covet, Giraffes? Giraffes!

– Michael Astley-Brown

Larkin Poe – Bad Spell

What is it? The swaggering lead single from Blood Harmony, the sixth studio album from the always-exciting Nashville-based blues-rock duo featuring sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell. A “female response” to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ I Put a Spell on You, Bad Spell simply explodes out of the speakers.

Standout guitar moment: Armed with one of her beloved HSS Stratocasters and a dimed-out fuzz pedal, Rebecca Lovell delivers a catchy, instant-impact sledgehammer of a blues-rock riff that never wears out its welcome. It’s the sort of unstoppable refrain that’s taken plenty of other groups in the genre from clubs and small theaters to arenas, and listening to it, we can’t help but wonder if Larkin Poe will be next to make that jump…  

For fans of: The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Tedeschi Trucks Band

– Jackson Maxwell

Thrice – Dead Wake

What is it? Devastating fresh material from the California alt-rock innovators following last year’s Horizons/East. A song of two halves, Dead Wake starts as a Vheissu-flavored post-hardcore anthem, traverses a brief keyboard interlude and ends up a slice of altogether apocalyptic alt-rock. Although Dead Wake is being billed as a standalone release, the band told us a Horizons/West companion record was in the works, so we wouldn’t be surprised to hear more in the coming months…

Standout guitar moment: The way Dustin Kensrue’s climactic chiming overdriven sounds play off against Teppei Teranishi’s raw unison bends is magic.

For fans of: Touché Amoré, Circa Survive, Radiohead

– Michael Astley-Brown

Malevolence – Salvation (feat. Matthew K. Heafy)

What is it? A standout track on the Sheffield, UK metalcore stalwarts’ new album, Malicious Intent. A masterclass in unbridled sonic ferocity, Salvation is brimming with pummeling mid-tempo guitar riffs, texture-laden melodic chorus sections and both a solo and some guest vocals from Trivium leader Matt Heafy.

Standout guitar moment: Heafy never misses with his leads, and this one is no exception. From the 1:42 mark, the Trivium man offers up a bounty of winding melodies and two-handed tapping wizardry, proving once again that he’s one of the best in the biz.

For fans of: Trivium, Stray From the Path, Venom Prison

– Sam Roche

Foals – 2001 

What is it? A funk-fueled, disco-charged bop from veteran hit-makers Foals, who are gearing up to release their new album, Life Is Yours, later this year. It’s everything you’d expect from a Foals track but more, with the band fully embracing their evolution into a disco guitar group by decking out space-y synths with gargling low-ends, snappy guitar licks and arguably the funkiest guitar drone of their whole repertoire.

Standout guitar moment: That infectious intro guitar riff is an absolute joy to listen to, and sounds as though it’s emanated straight from the fretboard of funk king Cory Wong himself.

For fans of: Royal Blood, Bloc Party, Cory Wong

– Matt Owen 

Roosevelt feat. Nile Rodgers – Passion

What is it? By enlisting the talents of a certain Mr. Nile Rodgers, German synth-pop maestro Roosevelt fulfills a longtime dream on this floor-filling new single. The result is, unsurprisingly, a disco-infused pop banger that proves Rodgers’ eternal midas touch.

Standout guitar moment: While Nile’s unmistakable syncopated Hitmaker strums drive Passion’s monster chorus, that cheeky palm-muted middle eight gives a glimpse at his underrated riff chops, too.

For fans of: Chic, Cory Wong, Daft Punk

– Michael Astley-Brown

Horsegirl – Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)

What is it? We’ve had our eyes on this Chicago trio – whose members are barely out of high school – for awhile now. They make twisty, catchy and angular guitar-driven songs that have folks who grew up in alt-rock’s heyday going ‘well, thank god some kids these days make real music.' Unlike other buzzy young bands that have merely served as a vehicle for boomer/early millennial nostalgia and projection though, Horsegirl have talent and vision to go along with the hype, as a listen to their new single, Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty), proves in spades.

Standout guitar moment: The song’s main chord progression is highlighted by woozy bends that add a ton of color and personality to this quietly charming rocker.

For fans of: Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth, Pavement

– Jackson Maxwell

Coheed and Cambria – Comatose

What is it? The fourth single from Coheed and Cambria’s highly-anticipated 10th album, Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind. Like previously released singles The Liars Club and Rise, Naianasha (Cut the Cord), Comatose boasts a light rock feel, driven by an instantly infectious major-key guitar riff.

Standout guitar moment: The track features an abundance of harmonized leads, which weave themselves around one another underneath Claudio Sanchez’s ever-catchy vocal hooks.

For fans of: Dance Gavin Dance, Billy Talent

– Sam Roche

Everything Everything – Kevin’s Car  

What is it? A track lifted from UK art rock group Everything Everything’s new album, Raw Data Feel, which dropped today (May 20). Kevin’s Car is quintessential Everything Everything, and arrives from a band whose sound is deeply rooted in unorthodox six-string sonic experimentation. It’s a textural tapestry of the highest order, from the glass-like intro guitars and electro-tinged verse stabs to the extended chorus melody that pins the mix together.

Standout guitar moment: Multiple listens will reveal more and more nuanced guitar activity, but the vocal-mirroring line of the chorus is the best of the bunch, effortlessly gluing the entire track together and bringing it to life.

For fans of: Alt-J, Radiohead, Dutch Uncles 

– Matt Owen

The Fierce & the Dead – Wonderful

What is it? A fresh psych-fuzz freakout from one of the UK’s trickiest-to-pin-down instrumental rockers – except their first new music in four years isn’t actually instrumental, featuring vocal contributions from Kevin Feazey for the first time. It doesn’t dilute the band’s serrated prog edge, however, and the addition of saxophone among the sludge lends the track a certain King Crimson esoterica.

Standout guitar moment: That peak grunge-channeling chorus riff, which takes equal billing with the verse’s shoegaze-worthy washed-out chords.

For fans of: King Crimson, Haken, Steven Wilson

– Michael Astley-Brown

Def Leppard – Fire It Up

What is it? A bouncy new number from the veteran English rock outfit’s forthcoming album, Diamond Star Halos. Fire It Up finds guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell in fine form, as they serve up a bounty of swaggering and feel-good guitar riffs, and a selection of tasty leads, to boot.

Standout guitar moment: The solo from the 2:28 mark is a textbook passage of classic rock-inspired shred, featuring sky-high bends and tastefully placed alternate picking blitzes.

For fans of: Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Scorpions

– Sam Roche

Caius – Care for Me (Iamalex & Felty remix) 

What is it? The latest laid-back remix from Horace Bray’s lo-fi side project, which sees him treat producer Caius' sultry beats to his smooth six-string soundscapes. Harnessing every ounce of his formal jazz education, Bray brings his A-game, souping-up the beat with some aquatic progressions, sizzling improv lines and tasty chromatic embellishments.

Standout guitar moment: A host of extended chords build up to the subtle, easy-listening solo at the 1:21 mark, which is littered with jazzy slides, colorful turnarounds and some upper-fret harmonies.

For fans of: Horace Bray, Tom Misch, Charlie Allen

– Matt Owen

Martin O'Donnell – the main composer for the Halo video games series – has uploaded footage of Steve Vai and Nile Rodgers helping compose the iconic, guitar-driven theme for Halo 2.

The 27-minute video documents how together the electric guitar superstars transformed the original Halo theme into something far more hard-rocking and shred-heavy.

As Rodgers can be seen explaining in the video above, he wanted to create something “really true” to the original game's soundtrack.

From the 0:53 mark, the funk legend can be seen analyzing the string-driven segment of the Halo 2 theme, before picking up his trademark Fender 'Hitmaker' Stratocaster (a replica of which was just added to Fender's lineup) and improvising a characteristically funky accompanying chord progression.

Rodgers jokingly remembers once offering up a similarly-flavored progression when he was once playing with Eric Clapton.

“I was doing something like this with [Clapton],” he says, “[and he sat there and went ‘Okay, now what am I gonna play?’ – he said ‘you're covering all the harmony and all the rhythm, what am I supposed to do?’”

Before long, Vai turns up, and listens patiently to Rodgers as the funk master explains what he's looking for. Rodgers then plays Vai the original Halo theme, for context, and – in an amusing voice – sings for him approximately the solo he wants Vai to play.

After Vai warms up a bit, he hands his Ibanez JEM off to Rodgers for a few minutes. Right around the 6:17 mark, Rodgers proceeds to unleash some rapid-fire licks on the Ibanez, populated with guitar-face inducing bends and smokin' alternate picking. "This [the Ibanez] feels great!" Rodgers enthuses to Vai before handing back his prized axe.

Beginning at around the 9-minute mark, the footage shows Vai pretty much nailing what became the eventual lead guitar track on the first take. 

The whole video is an incredible snapshot of the maestro at work, but it does make us long for a Rodgers/Vai jam in which Vai plays the Hitmaker and Rodgers plays a JEM. One can only dream...

Fender has honored funk electric guitar legend Nile Rodgers with a new signature guitar, the Hitmaker Stratocaster.

Rodgers' ultra-bright, clean and propulsive guitar work – a great deal of it played on a white Stratocaster with the neck of a 1959 model and the body of a 1960 model – has powered innumerable hit songs, from Madonna's Like a Virgin to Daft Punk's Get Lucky three decades later. 

The new Hitmaker Strat is a faithful recreation of that beloved anchor of Rodgers' arsenal, and is the first production line Rodgers signature Strat (an ultra-limited edition Custom Shop recreation of the Hitmaker was introduced in 2014).

Finished in Olympic White, the Hitmaker Strat is built with a slimmed-down, more aggressively contoured 1960 Strat alder body, and a ’59 Strat-profile, one-piece maple neck with a 9.5” radius fingerboard sporting 21 medium jumbo frets. 

The guitar is powered by a trio of custom single coils voiced specifically to replicate the quack and bell-like chime of its Rodgers’ original. These are controlled by your standard Strat control set of two tone knobs (controlling neck and middle/bridge), a master volume and a five-way blade pickup switch.

In terms of hardware, the Hitmaker is adorned with a hardtail string-through bridge (unusual for that period) with period-correct bent-steel saddles, a mirrored chrome-plated brass pickguard, locking Sperzel tuners, and a set of speed knobs.

Though the Strat gives off a somewhat minimalist air, there are a few sweet signature touches scattered throughout.

The front of the headstock, for one, is adorned with Rodgers’ signature, while the back of the headstock features his logo plus that of his band, Chic. The neck plate, meanwhile, also features a Hitmaker logo. 

“I’ve heard people say the Hitmaker is a $2 billion dollar guitar,” Rodgers said in a statement. “When playing it, I’ve been a part of making some of the biggest-selling records of all time: David Bowie, Chic, Diana Ross, Daft Punk, Madonna and so many others. 

“All I know is that it’s been my constant companion for almost fifty years. I can’t stop myself from playing it for hours each and every day. I’m therefore thrilled that now almost anyone can buy their own Hitmaker.

“Fender really got it right and focused on every little detail that made the original special,” he continued. “It’s going to be surreal to hear that unique sound on a record I didn’t make.”

The Fender Nile Rodgers Hitmaker Stratocaster is available now for $2,599, including a custom vintage-style case sporting a Hitmaker-embroidered interior, and custom certificate of authenticity.

For more info on the guitar, visit Fender.

Slash, Joan Jett, Peter Frampton, Nile Rodgers and Richie Sambora are among the names of music industry leaders who will head up the Les Paul Foundation’s newly established Advisory Council.

The Foundation, who aim to honor the legacy of the late Les Paul, has assembled its new group of advisors in a bid to further strengthen and support its mission, with an emphasis on promoting music education, engineering and hearing health.

According to the Les Paul foundation, these three values were “priorities for Les during his lifetime”, and the new Advisory Council will continue Paul’s work by offering its insight, ideas and guidance.

Joining the electric guitar stars listed above is multi-platinum producer Alawn, CAA Nashville President Rod Essig and bass guitar player Brian Hardgroove, as well as music executive Don Was, multi-instrumentalist Jeff Peretz and Middle Tennessee State University’s John Merchant.

The Advisory Council lineup will be completed by Les Paul’s godson and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Miller, and TMWRK Management CEO Andrew McInnes

Of the new cohort, the Foundation’s Executive Director Michael Braunstein said, “The individuals who have joined the Les Paul Foundation Advisory Council are a prestigious and influential group of music industry artists, educators, executives and friends. 

“The names we announced today are a fitting tribute to Les,” he continued. “We look forward to their ideas and are thankful for their commitment to helping us share the historic legacy of such a great man, our friend Les Paul.”

To date, the Les Paul Foundation has headed up a number of charitable initiatives and has awarded over $4 million to non-profit organizations.

For more information, head over to the Les Paul Foundation.

Nile Rodgers is putting over 100 electric guitars, acoustic guitars and bass guitars up for auction as part of a huge We Are Family Foundation charity event.

Hosted by New York-based auction house Christie’s, the auction includes a number of instruments that Rodgers has used throughout his prolific career, and will also see the sale of guitar amps, synthesizers, mixing boards, clothing and classic cars.

According to the Chic guitarist, “Every guitar has a unique story,” with each instrument coming straight from Rodgers’ own personal collection.

Money raised from the auction will go towards supporting the We Are Family Foundation, which is dedicated to “creating programs that promote cultural diversity while nurturing and mentoring the vision, talents and ideas of young people who are positively changing the world”.

Chief among the electric offerings is a 2015 Fender Stratocaster Hitmaker Prototype, based on Rodgers’ original Strat that he bought in Miami in 1973 prior to Chic serving as the opening act on the Jackson Five's world tour.

As told by Rodgers, “The Jackson Five were playing Dancing Machine… and it just sounded so awesome. Bernard [Edwards, Chic co-founder] looked at me and was like, 'Man, will you go get a Strat?' At this point in my life I was playing jazz guitars, and I wasn’t quite convinced."

After being persuaded by another musician to pick up a Strat, Rodgers eventually traded his jazz guitar for the Fender that would go on to become The Hitmaker – the instrument that the 2015 Strat is based on.

“Little did I know that guitar would shape my destiny,” Rodgers commented.

Another stand-out Strat-style guitar is Rodgers’ Strat-style Tokai, which he used to record Daft Punk's Get Lucky.

As well as featuring a wealth of Fenders – including Strats from ‘57, ‘63 and ‘65, and four individual Telecaster models – the collection also includes a fair share of Gibsons. 

There are 11 Les Pauls on offer – among which is a ‘56 Custom, TransPerformance-equipped self-tuning Classic and Chic-signed Studio – as well as numerous ES models and an SG signed by AC/DC.

The Nile Rodgers Collection also contains multiple archtops – a ‘38 D’Angelico New Yorker lines up alongside a ‘40 Gibson ES-300, ‘51 Epiphone Zephyr DeLuxe Regent, ‘80 Ibanez Joe Pass-signed JP-20 and ‘45 Gretsch Synchromatic 300.

Rodgers has also made room for some rather eye-catching entries, such as the Tokai Talbo Blazing Fire, Roland G-707 Synthesizer guitar, Burns Bison, ESP double-neck and Alembic Orion models.

And, as you probably expected, there are a bunch of acoustics, too, chief among which is the ‘40 Henri Selmer Django Reinhardt, ‘41 Gibson ES-125, ‘87 Guild GF50-12NT 12-string, ‘47 Martin D-18 and ‘81 Gibson Chet Atkins CE Classical.

Last but not least is the bass guitar department, which is headed up by a 1985 ESP 400 Series model – an instrument that featured heavily on David Bowie’s Let’s Dance record, on which Rodgers was recruited to play.

“David Bowie had come to my apartment, and he wanted to hear what I was working on,” said Rodgers, before explaining he had growing concerns that Bowie would find his material too “avant garde”.

However, Bowie was undeterred. According to Rodgers, the late pop legend merely said, “If you do a record for me half as cool as that I’ll be the happiest man in the world.”

The ESP is joined by one other four-string: a futuristic-looking headless Philip Kubicki Factor.

Parting ways with his collection isn’t going to be easy for Rodgers, who reflected, “Those are just my guitars, but when I’m thinking about them leaving my world and leaving my life, all of a sudden I get this strange connection, maybe like parents feel when their kids go off to college or something.”

However, the funk legend commented there was no better motivator for selling his gear than helping the We Are Family Foundation, saying, “These are kids who come from nowhere, and you realize how brilliant they are. 

“They just need help,” he continued. “We go around the world and find these kids and help amplify their voices and their messages. I couldn’t think of a better motivator for selling my guitars.’

Said Gemma Sudlow, Head of Christie’s Private & Iconic Collections, “To work with Nile Rodgers in helping bring his collection to auction has been a privilege and a thrill. It’s incredible to work with this talented and magnanimous man.”

Registration for the auction is currently open, with bidding set to commence on December 16.

To find out more, head over to Christie’s.

Richie Sambora has said that he felt obliged to keep quiet about his role in penning Bon Jovi songs, telling Nile Rodgers “that was part of my deal, to shut the fuck up.”

The guitarist – who left the band in 2013, stating that he wished to spend more time with his family – was appearing on Nile Rodgers Deep Hidden Meaning Radio on Apple Music. Their discussion starts by looking at the perception around his role in the band. 

“A lot of people don’t know… but you’re like singing on everything,” comments Rodgers. “It’s strange because when the band has a front guy and the band has the front guy’s name, you think that all the singing is the front guy.”

Sambora then chimes in, “And all the writing. That was part of my deal: to shut the fuck up. If I had a coffee place, the sign would say, ‘Have a hot steaming cup of shut the fuck up.’ That would be my coffee place. And you know what? Guess what? I did it. And it worked out because that's what he needed, for whatever reason.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Sambora discusses the writing of the band’s signature song, Wanted Dead Or Alive.

"I thought if the band was going to have any longevity, we needed a banner song for guys,” says Sambora, who had noticed their fans tended to be female.

"And I had this idea, Wanted Dead or Alive. And I got stoned one day, and I was sitting in my mother's basement waiting for Jon to bring me a pizza so we could get going. And I came up with that riff and I went, ‘Well, that's pretty easy.’

“And it's a very simple riff,” he continues. "It seems like it's hard to play – it's not hard to play at all. And it made girls able to bring their husbands and their boyfriends, [who] didn't feel like they had to go hide someplace.”

Sambora has only played with Bon Jovi once since leaving the band in 2013, appearing at their induction to the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall Of Fame in 2018. However, Sambora has previously told Rolling Stone “there ain’t no malice”, in his relationship with singer Jon Bon Jovi.

Check out Richie Sambora’s full interview with Nile Rodgers on Apple Music.

In 2021, the delay pedal is a pedalboard essential. But how did we get there? That there are so many flavors of delay is testimony to the ingenuity of the pedal-building industrial complex, but also to the creativity of the players who have found new ways of using the effect. To paraphrase Isaac Newton, we are standing on the pedalboards of giants. 

The evolution of the delay pedal has been underway almost as soon as the electric guitar was first recorded. In the beginning, echo was used in much the same way as reverb. Set short, to slapback, it added a sense of depth and space. But soon players realized that it could be more than that. 

Longer delay times and more repeats offered the opportunity for delay to distinguish itself from reverb. Here we are going to take a look at some of delay's best moments on record.

This being a list, there are omissions. We did not find room for Jimmy Page’s psychedelic freak-outs with the Echoplex and theremin. And yet we entered some guy by the name of Gilmour in twice. This list, like all lists, is not definitive, and it is not ordered. It’s simply 25 examples of some of the coolest things you can do with delay.

These applications needn’t foreground the delay pedal. You can, of course, set the delay, feedback (the number of repeats) and output level so that the delay will subtly thicken your tone, adding width to solos and buttressing a solo guitarist’s position in a band mix. 

But sometimes it’s cool to lean into the features a little and do something showy, because if there is one pedal that can be all kinds of spectacular and offer a launchpad for off-piste audio adventures, it’s the delay – some of those new designs on the market will blow your mind.

So, in no particular order, here are 25 of the greatest delay moments of all time…

1. Guns N’ Roses – Welcome to the Jungle 

Guitarist: Slash

Greatest delay moments? Oh, shoot and heck! Let’s start with something that really is just a moment, an intro that stopped the clock for thousands of young players as Slash pulled us into the hedonistic nihilism of Guns N’ Roses’ incomparable debut, Appetite For Destruction. 

This really is the delay as an effect, a pinch-hitting moment of audio-engineered voodoo to give the audience chills. Hearing this for the first time was to rock ’n’ roll what seeing Robert Patrick turn into liquid metal was in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It is the perfect intro to the perfect album. 

If Appetite was the acme of ‘80s rock hedonism – sleazy, nasty, dangerous – then the stabbed repeats here suggested the fracturing of morality and social decorum. “Abandon all hope ye who enter here, now, have a glass of room temperature Night Train Express and try to enjoy yourself…”

Primitive rock animal that he is, Slash was using a simple rig. There was his “Appetite ‘Burst” 1959 Les Paul Standard replica built by Kris Derrig, complete with a Seymour Duncan Alnico II humbucker at the bridge going into a non master volume Marshall Super Lead modded by Frank Levi and a Marshall 4x12. 

It was producer Mike Clink who provided the delay via the Roland SRV-2000 Digital Reverb. That’s right, a rack-mounted reverb (hey, it was the ‘80s) with a secret delay mode. This digital easter egg was accessed by holding down the Reverb/Non Linear, Write and Room Simulate buttons as the unit is being powered on. Thereafter, set the delay time at 318ms feedback at 30, and output level to 50.

2. Dead Kennedys – Holiday in Cambodia

Guitarist: East Bay Ray

Jello Biafra gets all the attention whenever people talk Dead Kennedys, but East Bay Ray was the real radical in the lineup. His tone and style was like the devil’s surf rock, a wiry, skronky tone that sounded like it was taken from a Spaghetti Western filmed in the Upside Down. 

Key to his tone in those early recordings was a Maestro Echoplex placed first in the signal chain and using it as a pre-EQ effect. Typically, it would come afterwards, so that your distorted signal was being processed by the tape echo. Having it the other way around mean that the repeats would clean up a little as they faded, making it a little more disorientating for the audience.

You can hear this throughout Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, on which he’d run a Strat or humbucker-equipped Tele through a Fender Super Reverb, but Holiday in Cambodia showcases the full dynamic range of this tone – and of the Dead Kennedys’ mordant wit and anti-establishment posture.

3. David Bowie – Let’s Dance 

Guitarist: Nile Rodgers

Let’s Dance is one of popular music’s greatest moments, let alone delays. Featuring both Nile Rodgers and Stevie Ray Vaughan – and, y’know, David Bowie – this is the apogee of high-concept pop. 

As Nile Rodgers has explained, adding delay to his guitar part was something of an afterthought. There was strange anti-disco consensus at the time that was putting the zap on Rodgers’ typically funkifiable creative flow as he adapted Bowie’s original folk chord progression, but once he had evolved it into a jazzier piece, it was time for some studio magic to take over and give the lick its signature rhythmic bounce. 

That's where the delay came in. Use a dual delay running two delay lines in parallel – preferably panned left and right in stereo – set one to an eighth note pulse (263ms) and the other to a quarter note (526ms), and, just as Rodgers says, “let the delay make the groove.”

4. Pink Floyd – Echoes

Guitarist: David Gilmour

No guitarist has done more to bend space and time to his will and promote the use of delay than David Gilmour. With Pink Floyd, he helped wrestle large, ambitious progressive rock songs out of the human semi-consciousness. 

In the early days, his delay of choice was the Binson Echorec. The Echorec was a tube-driven echo unit that featured an analog magnetic drum recorder. You can hear throughout early Floyd, on tracks such as Time and Shine On You Crazy Diamond. 

On Floyd’s Echoes: Live at Pompeii performance, Gilmour creates infinite violin sound with his slide, setting at around 310ms and using it to complement his Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, adding depth and sustain to his solo. One sure way to empty your bank account in a hurry is to buy a vintage Echorec online, but luckily you are living in the 21st century and there are some superlative digital alternatives.

5. Pink Floyd – Run Like Hell

Guitarist: David Gilmour

No guitarist has done more to bend space and time to his will and promote the use of delay than David Gilmour. With Pink Floyd… Oh no, wait! Sorry folks, but how else were we going to subvert the one artist, one entry rule for these lists but to insert a meta joke on delay? 

This being David Gilmour’s world – and we’re all just lucky to be living in it – he gets a second entry, and it's significant, too, because having switching to an MXR Digital Delay in the late ‘70s, the flavor of his delay changed considerably.

More precise, more pristine, the digital delay was perfect for rhythmically complex licks such as Run Like Hell, where he is playing along with the repeats. It is a technique that was later expanded upon by the likes of Paul Reynolds, the Edge, Buckethead and others, but all of these players have their own unique take on it. 

Run Like Hell was recorded in 1979, yet it still sounds exhilarating, provocative and new, the perfect early example of delay being used as an effect and compositional tool.

6. Devin Townsend – Greetings

A sonic frontiersman with a taste for the theatrical, Devin Townsend was always going to make his way onto this list somehow. Throughout his discography, you will find ping pong delays, epic celestial delays, and a sound that feels like it made a reverse quantum leap to find itself on our timeline. 

Found on the 1997 tour de force of prog metal, Greetings is one of those tracks where Hevy Devy’s tone assumes a quasi-utopian grandeur. It is immaculate and regal, a gift from the heavens. 

It’s funny listening to this now; this came out in the ‘90s, before guitar culture’s digital transformation. Nowadays, Townsend uses a Fractal Axe-Fx III. 

Of course, the entire Ocean Machine record is awash with clever and imaginative delays, so much so that Townsend’s signature Mooer delay/looper is named after it. There are more outré ways to use a delay but, here, it just sorts of gussies up the melody and gives it a patina of extra-terrestrial godliness.

7. Eric Johnson – Cliffs of Dover

Eric Johnson had his admirers before the release of Ah Via Musicom, but his cresting compositional nous and a most delicious, Michelin Starred tone helped the 1990 release catapult him into the consciousness and practice regime of nigh-on every guitar nerd on the planet. 

It is an album of many highlights, but Cliffs Of Dover is the one that can be heard from outer space, and remains one of the hallowed touchstones of instrumental guitar music. It is of particular interest here as an example of delay – or in this instance Echoplex tape echo – taking on an emulsifying effect on his tone. 

You will not necessarily taste it, but without it the creamy, violin sauce of Johnson’s hyper-melodic arrangements would have split. Johnson’s rig on Cliffs Of Dover saw him put his guitar through a Maestro Echoplex, then into a Chandler Tube Driver, and into a 100-watt Marshall half stack. 

The unorthodox echo-into-overdrive signal chain – really it’s like using a spoon to eat steak – evened out the delay/echo effect for an ambient effect during busier passages, and offered a more traditional three-dimensionality during his more restrained moments.

8. Queen – Brighton Rock

Guitarist: Brian May

The orchestral galaxy brain nestled safely underneath Dr May’s curly locks is never too far from breaking out with a show-topping rock overture. Queen’s oeuvre was forever bursting at the seams of rock ’n’ roll, the majesty of their voluminous songwriting imagination expanding our musical vocabularies with each passing release, and it sometimes felt as though May’s harmonized lead guitar could only be replicated in science fiction. 

As it turned out, May felt that way, too, and for live performances, where he somehow had to replicate the studio magic, he turned to the Echoplex for an answer.

Indeed, he turned to two Echoplex units, to be precise. Running them both with the same delay time and each into their own amplifier to avoid unwanted modulation, he could make his Brighton Rock a widescreen Technicolor supernova that defied physical law. 

All in all, you’ll need three Vox AC30s, two vintage Echoplex units (in working condition), a guitar built from the May homestead’s fireplace, and a splitter box – run the guitar into its own amp, take the signal from that into the splitter box and send that through their own individual Vox AC30s, and you’re good to go. Oh! And use a sixpence as a pick. Easy, right?

9. U2 – Where the Streets Have No Name

Guitarist: The Edge

Go out to your garden, hang U2’s discography from the tree and throw a dart blindfolded. You’ll be all but guaranteed to hit a song that exemplifies how delay can be used in a musical context. Just as Van Gogh used oil on canvas, the Edge uses the electric guitar through a cornucopia of delay pedals. 

He has used the likes of the Korg SDD-3000, TC Electronic 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay, the AMS SDMX Digital Delay and more, but it is not really a question of what he uses as how he uses. 

Where the Streets Have No Name – which, as the great Billy Connolly once joked, is about a mailman with the blues – is all bobbing, kinetic rhythmic repeats, dotted eighths on the repeats and populating the mix with a wall of guitars. 

Again, like May, the Edge is using delay to sell the illusion that there are more guitars onstage, each perfectly in time on an intricately composed rhythm measure. 

Pedal culture has truly exploded in recent years, and the internet allied to a new generation of circuit designers has played its part, but its tracks such as this that demonstrate just how a well-curated pedalboard and some imagination can create a signature sound that resonates far beyond guitar culture.

10. Allan Holdsworth – House of Mirrors

We will remember the late jazz-rock fusion trailblazer Allan Holdsworth for many things. For some it will be for chord voicings so complex they were like a four-person game of Twister.

Others are all in for his unique phrasing, or his gift for legato solo runs and his poly-modal scalar vocabulary. But he was a gear pioneer, too, and not only for his long association with headless Steinberger electric guitars and the SynthAxe, but for stacking of delays to engineer some of the most immersive clean tones recorded. 

Having used units such as the Yamaha D1500, Roland SDE-3000, Lexicon PCM-42, and the DeltaLab Effectron, Holdsworth set about paring down the rig, working with Yamaha on the UD-Stomp delay. Programmable and capable of running eight delays – four short with modulation, four long with mod and feedback controls – the UD-Stomp allowed Holdsworth to use delay very differently. 

Often he would use a volume pedal for dramatic swells, but one of the benefits of his multi-delay approach was he could use delay a little like reverb but with none of the washy ambience that you might get from using a long reverb. 

Hall of Mirrors is a great example of all things Holdsworth – particularly the chord voicings – but particularly for those sumptuous clean tones, given depth and width with multi-tapped delay.

11. The Police – Walking on the Moon

Guitarist: Andy Summers

Another guitarist whose life was changed upon discovering the Maestro Echoplex, Andy Summers had the perfect guitar style to jive with effects such as modulation and delay. He largely eschewed distortion for crystal cleans and light crunch, and his chord and note choices were ripe for some extra processing. 

Summers used an MXR Dyna Comp compressor, almost as a matter of good signal hygiene, before sending the tone right on round the bend with an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress. 

But tracks such as Walking on the Moon are made magical once the Echoplex is engaged. Indeed, there is something anti-gravity about that sparse intro, Summers’ guitar stabbing around Sting’s bassline. Most of the melodic information is carried by Sting, but that ambient fairy dust is sonically and thematically perfect.

Speaking to Guitar World, Summers said the Echoplex became a signature move from early on, a feature of the end of Can’t Stand Losing You. 

“I managed to acquire more things, but the big move was getting the Echoplex,” he said. “because I found that I was able to add another dimension to the band in terms of the reverb, and the largeness and scale of the sound.”

12. Elvis Presley – Mystery Train

Guitarist: Scotty Moore 

The earliest examples of delay in popular music were found in slapback echo of early rock ’n’ and roll, and none were better than the King’s own six-string lieutenant through his Sun Studio era, Scotty Moore. 

Producer Sam Phillips has got to take some of the credit here, too. Set the repeats to a quarter-second or less, and set the feedback so there’s just a few of them – quite literally slapping back at you – and you’ve got it. 

The effect through a clean tube combo is deeply evocative of rock ’n’ roll’s foundational moment. It officially became part of Moore’s rig in 1955 when, inspired by Chet Atkins, he acquired one of these new-fangled Ray Butts’ EchoSonic amplifier with an onboard tape echo.

In putting his 1954 Gibson L-5 CESN through the EchoSonic, Moore defined rockabilly guitar tone. Over 65 years later, Mystery Train still sounds exhilarating. Moore would switch to a Gibson Super 400 but the idea was the same, and the tone would go on to change pop culture for keeps. The rockabilly cat was out of the back and there was no turning back.

13. St. Vincent – Now, Now

The natural harmonic chime of St. Vincent’s Now, Now takes on an extra-dimensional quality with her clever use of pitch-shifting and a fast delay time that adds the illusion that the guitar is being doubled. 

Few players use effects so imaginatively. Pop, no matter how avant-garde or aesthetically bold, can be a hard medium for the electric guitar, but St. Vincent’s has the touch. 

She makes full use of this gilded era in effects pedals, curating a ‘board with a number of pitch-shifting, fuzz and delay options, finding a way to bend guitar tone out of shape and fold it into the mix. Whenever the tone is a little cleaner, the delay is almost omnipresent in her work, allowing her to tease out longer ambient textures without them turning to mush as they might with reverb.

On Now, Now, the delay makes it busy, while the pitch-shifter attracts a double take from an audience whose ears are surely deceiving them. This… is guitar?

14. Audioslave – Cochise

Guitarist: Tom Morello

Animal, vegetable, mineral, whatever – you name it and the man Morello will take out his guitar and mimic it. He’s like a myna bird, a player whose skill-set calls to mind Michael Winslow of Police Academy fame. And it’s amazing how this one-man sound effects unit can dip into the onboard presets stored in his brain and augment rock with weird textures.

The whirlybird chopper effect that opens Cochise is one of Morello’s best effects. Set the delay for a single repeat with a short delay time and set it at a level just under your dry signal. Mute the strings with your fretting hand and tap out the rhythm on the low E with your picking hand. 

Move your fretting hand position to adjust the pitch of the blades. Play around with this sort of thing and other ideas will come to mind. It’s a little like the choppiest tremolo you have ever heard, and it’s very rad. 

The best bit about trying to master Morello’s trick bag is that you don’t need much. Phaser, Whammy, wah, delay, and you’ve got all you need.

15. John Martyn – Rather Be The Devil

John Martyn’s Rather Be The Devil did for the acoustic guitar what Eddie Van Halen’s Eruption did for electric guitar. This act of brazen iconoclasm, using a DeArmond pickup mounted in the soundhole and a tape echo to accentuate his fingerstyle rhythms and warp the tone, inspired a new generation of players. 

Where Martyn went, the likes of John Smith and Ben Howard followed, amassing banks of delay and echo. Speaking to Total Guitar, John Smith recalled one of the formative moments in his career, playing the Barbican in London – a big deal – and not having a soundcheck because Martyn’s vintage Roland Space Echo had gone rogue.

Watching the video above from Martyn’s performance at the BBC is incredible. The only thing that suggests it was the 1970s is the screen resolution and the fashion. Otherwise, this is 21st-century guitar playing, and for anyone with a mind to embrace the possibilities of electric tech for the acoustic form, Martyn is essential listening.

16. Steve Vai – Ballerina 12/24 

Steve Vai’s Passion and Warfare is one of shred guitar’s foundational texts. Every track has something to teach us. In the case of 12/24 Ballerina, it’s how some delay and clever pitch shifting can put a pin in the record for a jewelry box guitar instrumental. Countless forum pages are dedicated to Vai’s tone secrets on this. Such is the onward march of technological progress it is getting more accessible by the day. 

The studio magic of the Eventide H3000 Ultra-Harmonizer now is available in a compact form, in most good guitar stores, and yet it will never fail to amaze us. The trick is having the imagination to design such an an outré guitar tone on your device and then have the wherewithal to turn something so unlike the guitar into a guitar piece. We prefer the idea of some angels whispering the tone secrets and chord changes into the ear, just as they surely back at the Mothership. 

17. Radiohead – Karma Police

Guitarist: Ed O’Brien

The mindwarping conclusion to Karma Police is one of those OK Computer moments where the force of Ed O’Brien’s genius takes centre stage and – quite literally – multiplies before our ears. 

An anxious, disembodied and alienating composition, it finishes with a self-oscillating wormhole, created by O’Brien running his guitar through an AMS DMX 15-80S rack-mounted digital delay.

Now, maxing out the repeats is always interesting until a delay self-oscillates is always fun. It is 100 per cent guaranteed to get your dog to howl along – trust us, we’ve tried it. But it’s not necessarily musical. 

It’s the context that makes it so vital, and how O’Brien pulls back the delay speed to adjust the pitch and further loosen the bonds between reality and the subverted reality in which Radiohead pitch this track. Once it’s through, you want to take yourself to the shower to wash the mood off. The thing is, by the end of Karma Police that unease is under the skin. 

18. Flock of Seagulls – I Ran (So Far Away)

Guitarist: Paul Reynolds

Not enough has been written on the guitar playing of Paul Reynolds. Maybe it’s because the new wave sound of Flock of Seagulls has been ring-fenced by the passing of time and never adequately reanimated in the 21st century to merit a thorough audit of Reynolds’ genius. 

But he makes a fascinating case study in how to make an electric guitar work outside of the analog confines of rock ’n’ roll and the modern beat combo format. In a sense, it is players such as Reynolds who paved the way for St. Vincent et al. 

One of the difficulties when talking about great pop songs such as I Ran (So Far Away) is that the melody and the ensemble steamroller your attention, but iris in on the guitar playing and you’ll find Reynolds with his super-wacky 1980 Kramer XL-5 (aluminum neck FTW), playing through a Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo. 

Roland’s last mechanical echo unit was a beast – if you find one online in good condition expect to pay over $2,000 – that featured spring reverb, echo and chorus. Unlike other tape echoes, the tape was held in its own compartment as opposed to being wound on a cassette, all to prolong tape life and offer more pristine, wow/flutter-free performance for longer. 

While we do not know exactly what Reynolds used when tracking I Ran, it was certainly a go-to unit for live performances. On record, it is a textbook exercise in new wave guitar tone, clean processed tones, dotted-eighth delay times and a pseudo-doubling effect to make the solo really pop out. Having all but defined new wave guitar playing, Reynolds is ripe for rediscovery.

19. Van Halen – Cathedral

Guitarist: Eddie Van Halen 

If you look at his rig and some of the outré styles he had showcased on previous recordings, it was inevitable that Eddie Van Halen would get around to tracking something like Cathedral. 

If Eruption introduced us to his flamboyant gift for performance and meticulous technique, Cathedral gave him the opportunity to demonstrate just how all of the elements of his rig could be brought to bear on the urgent task of advancing rock guitar. 

This is what the EVH gear low-friction volume pot is for. Yeah, sure, use a volume pedal, you can’t walk about the stage, making eye contact and greeting the people when rooted to your ‘board.

In Eddie’s hands, those volume swells, the double-locking vibrato and the Maestro Echoplex created a strange brew of audio magic. The Echoplex’s legendary preamp adds a little heat to the "brown sound", but also allowed his guitar to transmogrify into a synthesized organ and have a conversation with itself. 

It’s like that bit in Close Encounters when the NASA cats and the aliens are having a jam off, except it’s all with one guitar and one man having a god-like moment of genius. On record it is ecclesiastic, onstage was a mind-bending spectacular.

20. Covet – Nero

Guitarist: Yvette Young

The most important effect in Yvette Young’s signal chain is Yvette Young. Of course, she has a fully stocked pedalboard, but really, you could just give her an Ibanez Talman and a capo and send her into the studio and she’ll come up with some gold. But that said, when she uses analog delay on tracks such as Nero, she finds an extra level.

It’s funny because many players will use a compressor as their tone-sweetener, or maybe an EP-3 preamp-style boost, but on Nero, it is as though there’s a Carbon Copy delay working with a compressor to make that solo sound extra pro.

There is something admirably high-wire about that choice, because as much as delay can thicken things up it can also create clutter if the playing is not on-point. This is lo-fi, analog virtuosity, a form of radical transparency that makes Covet, and Young’s playing in particular, so thrilling.

21. Buckethead – Big Sur Moon

Sometimes it is liberating when a guitar player writes, records and performs a track like Big Sur Moon, because here we were, fussing around with an endless procession of delays, controls up the wazoo, and along comes Buckethead who casts a spell on an analog delay to record a next-gen shred piece that is pure sci-fi. 

How does he do it? Well, he can count, and he can play. Like a metronome, delay repeats do not lie. Like the pseudonymous shred enigma that he is, Buckethead makes no mistakes. Here, he’s got a mellow clean tone, a melodic progression to work through, and the picking skills of a surgeon.

Of course, we are foregrounding the technical excellence required to compose and perform a piece such as this, but even if you approach this as a non-guitarist, Big Sur Moon stands up as a beguiling instrumental moment.

As for replicating it, the repeats have a dotted eighth feel to them and are clean, pronounced, and watching him perform it live it looks like the majority of this arpeggiated mind-melter is performed using upstrokes, with palm-muting used to control the dynamics.

Played at 159 BPM, a dotted eighth note would require a delay time of 283ms. Limit the feedback to a single repeat at unitary gain to your dry signal. Given that it’s best to embark on this slowly and build up speed, use a BPM-to-delay time calculator to adjust for tempo, and aim for precision and feel before getting faster.

22. Paul Gilbert – The Echo Song

All right, Mr Joe Buckethead, we see your Big Sur Moon and raise you one Echo Song… Okay, it’s not like that, it’s not a competition, and in mood and feel they are two very different pieces, but here Paul Gilbert is following in the footsteps of Buckethead’s technical excellence and giving it his own super-juicy overdriven twist on it. 

Again, this sort of technical excellence is not normal. If you find yourself sitting at home, performing The Echo Song, or perhaps writing and performing a similar piece, which sees the electric guitar have a busy conversation with itself in a strong "brown sound"-accented tone, then you have made it. Please share your secrets with the guitar world at large.

Again, it’s one where the repeats are as pretty much as loud as the picking, and the ability to count and pick accurately is the ability to save yourself from turning a fascinating arrangement into the unlistenable.

23. Mogwai - Helicon 1

Guitarists: Dominic Aitchison, John Cummings

The ur-post-rock sonic landscapers, Glasgow’s young team have developed their own form of sculpting, taking distortion’s dark energies and rendering it in aerosol form via reverb, modulation and delay. Helicon 1 – or New Paths to Helicon, Pt. 1 to give it its full title – is a perfect example of their genius at play.

As ever, the guitar melody is gaseous, the bass, played by Stuart Braithwaite as bassist Dominic Aitchison is seconded to guitar, carries a lot of the melodic information. We’ve heard delay being used as a doubler, as a performance-enhancing effect, or as a means of creating ambience without creating the wash of reverb, but here it is working in tandem with reverb to establish a mood.  

This is a masterpiece of languid twilight, but of course, this being Mogwai, a predominantly rock enterprise with nonetheless a similar appreciation of dynamics as a classical composer, the big noise follows the big mood, too – a savage ecstasy that sends every dial into the red before receding back into polite ambience.

24. Kaki King – Bari Improv

Okay, so Rotten Tomatoes has taken the critical temperature for August Rush and awarded it just 37 per cent on the Tomatometer but if Kaki King’s breathtaking acoustic improv piece was given a heavier weighting in the critical judgement we’d expect to see this up there with Citizen Kane. 

Where do you start with this? Well, you’ll need an Ovation acoustic, a grimoire of alternate tunings, a Boss digital delay, and then throw out pretty much all the received wisdom on how to play acoustic guitar.

Kaki King is cut from different cloth. Her playing style is so hard to climb inside because it exists outside the traditional/percussive axis. It is all of the above. It’s no surprise that she’s a drummer, too. 

On Bari Improv, she uses the strings percussively as opposed to the body, building a rhythmically and melodically complex piece, and using clean repeats at unitary gain to augment those rhythms.

It should be an essential piece for acoustic players to learn, and the biggest lesson to take from it is how to incorporate these techniques in your own compositions, and how the delay pedal can lift it and make it truly special.

25. Tash Sultana – Jungle

Tash Sultana is a 21st-century phenomenon with a sound that’s been workshopped on the streets of Melbourne and broadcast into homes and cellphones the world over via the internet. Like many solo performers, Sultana’s Boss RC-30 looper is a crucial component in performance delivery, but it’s the Boss DD-7 and TE-2 Tera Echo that are doing a lot of the heavy lifting with the tone on Jungle.

Watch how Sultana constructs the loop, building the song from the ground up with some ska upstrokes, before working in some spaced-out Jazzmaster cleans on top. Sultana keeps such tone secrets under lock and key, but with a Boss TE-2 Tera Echo on the ‘board, it could be that the TE-2’s reverb/delay hybrid tone is adding texture while the DD-7 is adding rhythmic complexity with dotted-eighth repeats. They are as much part of Sultana’s backing band as the looper.

You might notice 2:56 seconds into the video that Sultana’s dog is unimpressed, but we are. This is a new kinda magic.

Nile Rodgers has offered up a remix of Personal Shopper, the first single from Steven Wilson's latest album The Future Bites.

True to form, the guitar legend injects a dose of Chic-esque funk into the original's techno/disco-flavored arrangement, and to undeniably groovy effect. Take a listen to the remix below:

Says Wilson: “You can probably tell from Personal Shopper that I grew up hearing a lot of disco music played in the Wilson house, including the classic Chic masterpieces. So it’s an absolute thrill to have Nile stamp his legendary signature sound on the track.”

Steven Wilson's latest album The Future Bites – which arrived in January – was markedly sparse in terms of guitar as a focal instrument.

In an interview with Australian Guitar last month, the prog-rocker explained how he approached writing the album's six-string parts in “a different context – a more electronic context”.

“It’s about thinking more of the guitar as a sound source, which is there to be processed – it’s not a sacred thing,” he said. “You can take a guitar and you can fuck it up, you can put it through plugins and you can put it through pedals and you can reverse it, slow it down, speed it up – I’ve done all of those things on this record!”

The Future Bites is available now via Arts & Crafts.

To call Nile Rodgers’ guitar-playing career a success is a gross understatement. More than $2 billion worth of music has been recorded with his ‘Hitmaker’ Strat, a guitar that cost him just $149 and which, at the time, he wasn’t even sure he should buy. He’s not regretting that purchase anymore, to say the least. 

We caught up with the Hitmaker himself while he was in town testing out the new Acoustasonic version of Fender’s ever-adaptable Strat at Abbey Road. 

Here, he opens up about the secrets behind his hyper-effective rhythm playing, his enduring love of jazz guitar and why being upstaged back in the 70s led to him picking up a Strat for the first time.  

You recently filmed a video for Fender in which you’re playing the new Acoustasonic Stratocaster. It’s quite a departure from the ‘Hitmaker’ Strat you’re known for using. What attracted you to it? 

“They gave it to me over at Abbey Road and I was just putting the guitar through its paces. And the next thing you know I wound up doing session after session after session – just over and over and over again, trying to figure out what the guitar did. And as I did it I wound up having so much fun playing it that I just didn’t stop playing it – it was a weird thing. It sort of grew on me almost right away… I really love jazz guitars, I just can’t help it. 

“When I’m sitting at home and I practise, I’m playing a D’Aquisto or a D’Angelico or an L-5, and typically I have the L-5 in my bedroom, because it’s just right there and the other ones have to go to my locker. But by having this guitar and starting to play jazz on it, I was like, ‘Oh wow, it’s doing what I like jazz guitars to do.’ 

“I can hear it in the room, but when I amplify it, it’s got the same kind of vibe – I can manipulate it and I can do what I can do with an L-5. And, just think, I haven’t had to put flat-wound strings on it: I’m still using the acoustic strings that came on the guitar. I haven’t changed them since I got it.

“Some people laugh, but old-school guitarists keep their strings on their guitars for a really long time. It’s just a thing. I don’t know if it’s an R&B thing or a blues thing or a black thing or whatever, but it’s just something that we do.

“My guitar techs know that I’m gonna have an attitude if I say, ‘Did you change my strings last night?’ and they say ‘Err, yeah, man, we changed them before the last show….’ It’s just a thing, man, and I can’t explain it, but I like old guitar strings.”

Which jazz guitarists influenced your own style the most? 

“I started out really, really loving Wes Montgomery and then for a bit I started to go into the Django Reinhardt school – I really got into the Gypsy jazz thing. But then practical life tends to take over and I realised that my life was going to be, for a certain amount of time, playing other people’s music. 

“That was going to be my job: I was not going to play my own music, I was going to play other people’s music. I needed to have a guitar that satisfied composers and producers and artists, so I started playing different styles of hollowbody guitar. Eventually, I worked my way to a 335 and then that just didn’t quite feel right to me, and so I went back to the other big box guitars.”

Why did you make the switch to becoming a Strat player? 

“We were opening for The Jackson 5 on the first leg of their first world tour in 1973 and we were substituting for a really great R&B band called the O’Jays. Whenever they had a headlining gig, they didn’t want to open for the Jacksons, so they would turn it over to my band.

“We were a group called New York City. We had a hit record called I’m Doin’ Fine Now – we toured on that record for about two or three years. One day we were doing a gig that we were headlining and we had an opening act; it was a young kid. 

“We didn’t want to have a stage changeover because we weren’t that big, so we would just let the opening act use our gear. And so this young kid plugged into my amp, and at that time I was playing through an Acoustic [brand] amp with the horn in it, because we all wanted to look like Sly And The Family Stone. 

“But it was stupid because I was playing a jazz guitar that would feedback and I’d have to put tape over the f-holes. But, still, you wanted to look like Sly! Anyway, this young kid plugged into my amp and he was playing a Fender Stratocaster and he was smoking! [laughs]

“It sounded unbelievable to me. I’ll never forget this. Man, my partner at the time, Bernard Edwards, he gave me the dirtiest look… if looks could kill, I would be dead years ago and I would not be talking to you. Because all along Bernard kept telling me, ‘Buy a Strat, buy a Strat. It’ll change our whole sound, it’s going be so funky. The way you play jazz, if you do that on a Strat, man, you’re going to be killing, you’re going to be known for something.’

“He kept trying to talk me into it, but I was a hippy, so I was like, ‘No, man, I just want to play like Wes…’ But this kid, he was playing some of the songs that we were playing, because we were doing cover songs as well as a few originals, but he would do the cover and he would sound exactly like the dude on the record and I was like, ‘Whoa!’

“So that day I went out and I traded my Gibson Barney Kessel for the cheapest Strat I could find because I was not convinced. So there was this really cheap guitar and I think it was going for about $149. At that time, Strats with maple necks had become expensive because of Hendrix. So typically in those days if you bought a Strat, especially if it had some age on it, it would be around $300, which was a lot of money. But with this one I traded in my Barney Kessel and the dude gave me $300 back! I was like, ‘Oh, man – this really was a cheap guitar.’

“That guitar has now become the ‘Hitmaker’. I play it on damn near every record and it was the runt of the litter. And it sounds amazing – it’s the only Strat I know that sounds like that.” [Ed’s note: given that the Hitmaker is estimated to have been used to make $2 billion worth of music, Nile received a 1,342,281,779 per cent return on his modest $149 investment…]

What musical uses do you think you will put the new Acoustasonic Strat to? 

“I really think it’s going to wind up being my jazz guitar. Because it’s right next to my bed, it’s in the bed with me at night, and I’ll probably play jazz on it – it feels like a jazz guitar to me, it doesn’t feel like a dreadnought or something to me. I think it’s going to wind up being that for me.”

What does the rest of your rig look like these days – have you got into modelling amps at all? 

“I’m so old-fashioned, man. I just play a regular Fender Strat. One thing that’s a big part of my sound is that I’m a 10-inch speaker guy and I’ve been that way forever. Even when I had like big stacks, I’d have the Sunn amplifier with like six 10-inch speakers [laughs] and then stack them up and have 12 10s or something like that. Because I think that it’s the most flattering thing to a funky sound. For me, 12-inch speakers were just like not the thing. I can use them, but it’s just not… it’s just…[shudders].

“So I really just use a Fender Strat, a Fender amp and I’ve just added a wah-wah pedal to my rig as well as a delay pedal. But it’s only for playing one song, which is Let’s Dance. I have a chorus pedal, too, that’s for one song that we play in the show – I think it’s Sister Sledge’s He’s The Greatest Dancer. On the record it’s tremolo, but in a live gig the tremolo won’t be in the pocket, so I just put the chorus on heavy and I just play extra notes.”

Developing a solid sense of time and groove is often overlooked by guitarists. What’s your advice on using time more creatively in playing?

“Yeah, man, you just touched upon the real essence of my life and my world. When I was younger I was fortunate enough to be around great jazz musicians and hear them say things that may or may not have been true – and may have just been bullshit for a magazine – but when you’re a kid, you’re very impressionable and you hear this stuff and it becomes the gospel to you. 

“So when I was younger, and I had encountered Miles [Davis] or had read articles and heard him say things like, ‘It ain’t the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play…’ I would think, ‘Oh, wow.’

“So ghosting [partially muting passing chords] became so important to my style of playing. I’m mean, I ghost all the time and the reason why I ghost a lot is just because it sounds funky to me. To me, the less information I throw at you at once, the funkier something sounds.

“You rarely will ever hear me play a six-note chord… to me, that’s like, ‘Aggghhh!’ It’s horrible to me. But every now and then I have to because it’s the right thing to do. So typically when I’m playing 13th chords or something like that you will hear me do a [full] voicing, but it’s very rare I’d rather go [plays partial chords with tighter sound].

“That just sounds funkier to me. What I’ll do is reduce the harmonic package to its smallest components to project that tonality or that information – and that’s really where the fun comes in.”

How did you prefer to write with Chic? 

“I write the hooks first. The very first song I wrote for Chic was called Everybody Dance. And when I wrote it I started with [plays a sequence of open chords], but then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not cool enough,’ so I went [plays linking melodic licks and adds two passing 11th chords] and then I had the hook that was on the record. 

“I write everything like that, like when I wrote We Are Family. I always want to have a lick. I wanna have a riff. Because I come from the school of rock ’n’ roll where you had to have a riff. You could just play the chords to We Are Family, but that doesn’t work to me – it’s actually a riff.”

Is there a difference between funk and disco, in terms of guitar parts? 

“Not to me. But then, to me, there isn’t really a distinction between funk or jazz – it’s all the same. When I was lucky enough to play with jazz big bands, after I learned to play funk, man, people used to like hiring me because instead of just playing traditional jazz rhythm I could play [plays Chic-style jazz rhythm pattern with punchy inversions]. 

“People like to hear that extra [syncopation and embellishment]. They started getting into it – they were having fun. And they’d say, ‘Get that kid… get that funky kid.’ I remember when I was a kid, jazz started to become like pop music. Some jazz musicians started having hit records. 

“Of course, in R&B, guitar is essential, certainly when I was a kid, and almost every record would have two or three guitar players on it. So I was able to fill the spot sometimes that would normally be filled by two guitar players when I was playing with a jazz orchestra or a big band or something. I’m a lucky guy [laughs].”

Nile Rodgers has said he wants major labels to be more fair and upfront with artists in regards to streaming revenue.

Speaking at a UK parliamentary inquiry on December 8, the guitarist told MPs that major labels weren't doing enough to offer artists and songwriters a fair share of streaming revenue.

“I want to know what the hell a stream is worth…” he said. ”So I could sit down with my accountant and we can go over real numbers because right now, even though I love the way Spotify gives me the stats, I don’t know what’s on the other side of that wall. I don’t have a clue.”

Streaming revenue has long been a subject of contention within the music industry, with artists often acknowledging the disparity between track plays and payouts.

Earlier this year, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek caused outrage among musicians, stating, “you can’t record every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough.”

Rodgers suggested, though, that the disparity has more to do with the non-disclosure agreements between labels and streaming platforms. He said [via BBC] that some labels keep up to 82 percent of royalties received from services like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.

“It’s not the streaming services that we have the problem with,” he said. “It’s the labels that are perpetrating this.”

Fiona Bevan – an English musician who co-wrote a track on Disco, a Number 1 album by Kylie Minogue – also spoke at the inquiry. She revealed she had received only £100 in streaming royalties.

“One of the stats that the [Ivors Academy] have just published, is that eight out of 10 songwriters earn less than £200 a year from streaming,” she said. “So we have a big problem here and people don’t know why they’re getting so little.”

The national inquiry on music streaming will continue into 2021.

First appearing in 1954, the Stratocaster has certainly stood the test of time. The double-cutaway body shape has endured, the original three-single-coil layout is the accepted standard configuration, and the five-way selector that evolved in the '70s, well, players had been jamming the early three-way switches into the ‘in between’ positions for years. 

Though the core Strat ideals remain to this day, specs are continually tweaked and literally hundreds of variants on the original template have been made available over the years.  

Here, we’re looking at the playing styles and tones of the greatest Strat players of all time. No Strat? No bother – there’s still loads to learn. Let’s get started…

1. Jimi Hendrix: Blues-Rock Innovator

Jimi will forever be associated with right-handed Strats, flipped over and restrung to be played left-handed, giving Jimi his trademark tone by reversing the relative pickup/string positions and string tension. Our example combines Jimi’s trademark 7#9 chord (aka the Hendrix chord) and soulful unison bends.

2. Ritchie Blackmore: Influence on Shred

Switching from Gibsons to Strats in the early 70s, the Deep Purple legend was as early adopter of ‘scalloped’ fretboards, subsequently influencing an army of neoclassical shredders. Our tab example showcases the deep vibrato of a scalloped ’board and Ritchie’s vigorous use of the tremolo arm.

3. Eric Clapton: Dominos and Early Solo Era

Few players are as synonymous with the Strat as Eric Clapton – Fender even marked the fact with the company’s first signature guitar in 1988. Our tab example, however, harks back to Eric’s early Strat playing on his famed ‘Brownie’, combining string bends and vibrato in an expressive, bluesy lick. Pure Slowhand!

4. Nile Rodgers: The Sound of Disco

Since the heady days of 70s disco the present day, Nile’s tone has barely changed, with the ‘Hitmaker’ (a 1960 Strat with a ’59 maple neck/fretboard) delivering those position 4/5 single-coil tones. Simply dial in a clean, compressed tone and get strumming those funky 16ths. Thin picks and light strings round off the equipment list.

5. David Gilmour: Melodic Master

Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Comfortably Numb are iconic examples of David Gilmour’s ‘Black Strat’ tone, the latter paired with an Electro- Harmonix Big Muff via a Hiwatt DR103 amp and Yamaha RA-200 rotary speaker. For our epic Comfortably Numb-style lick we’ve dialed in reverb and delay for a stadium-sized tone.

6. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Uptempo Blues 

SRV’s ‘Number One’ Strat tones are iconic but sadly near impossible to match as the Texan blues great would generally run a handful of amps together. A Tube Screamer into a Fender Super Reverb will get you a ballpark tone to tackle our uptempo blues lick with.

7. Jeff Beck: Tremolo Arm Licks

Jeff Beck’s new tonal direction in the 80s came from a switch to playing Strats almost exclusively and employing volume fades, harmonics and whammy bar-inflected fingerstyle technique. We’re demonstrating downward pitch movement with the trem here, but a floating bridge is best for Beck-style playing.

“I had so much fun, man!” grins Nile Rodgers, speaking to Guitar World about the new promotional video he recorded for the Fender Acoustasonic campaign. 

In the footage he can be seen orchestrating an entire song, with different electric and acoustic sounds or blends thereof, with just one single Strat-shaped instrument. If the Big F were looking to emphasize the versatility of their new modern hybrid, they certainly went to the right musician…

His work in Chic cemented his stature as the godfather of funk guitar, but of course Nile Rodgers has been known for plenty more besides that – a songwriter, producer and arranger with endless collaborations over the decades, from the big hits with David Bowie, Sister Sledge and Madonna or more guitar-based ventures with Jeff Beck and The Vaughan Brothers to more recent success with artists like Christina Aguilera and Daft Punk...

“I hope people are able to understand it’s the guitar that’s doing a lot of cool stuff and not just me using different techniques,” continues Rodgers, about his involvement in the campaign. 

“It still sounds like music, not just a demo video... or at least I hope! You guys are guitar players, maybe you can tell me! Hopefully it doesn’t sound too silly, like I’m going too far with stuff. 

“Once I got the spiritual schematic of what the guitar was supposed to do, I started to compose the parts so that they would perform optimally for a certain setting. So when I do the opening, that’s me trying to convey the perfect setting for harmonics. 

“And I use different types, the regular touch harmonic so you get the response on the fifth, seventh or twelfth fret and then also the pinched stuff, where you wind up going up an octave!”

The new composition, co-written with Philippe Saisse, was titled Inside The Box as a result of the collaboration being born in lockdown, at a time when strict local and international regulations on travel and working in close proximity have severely disrupted sessions in their classic sense. 

Rodgers explains his latest piece was originally conceived as a “CTI jazz kind of tune” for which he ended up finding the main melody already within the chords he was playing, while elsewhere utilizing a Talk Box for parts he’d normally save for wah. 

But the main star of the show, naturally, was the instrument in his hands – arguably one of the most daring innovations in Fender history...

“I was seduced by all the things this guitar could do in different positions,” confesses the 68 year-old New York veteran. “And I wanted to take advantage of that. So I redid some of the stuff and it worked even better. We were able to chart out the music, but also where I switch settings and what exactly I’m doing for each part.

“Then we sent it to Fender, explaining how I was blending all the voices. When we got on set, which was a very proud moment for me, they asked me to play what we’d done live. My assistant would tell me exactly how I’d dialed in each part and it sounded exactly like it on the recordings. I knew we had our shit down!”

You’ve played all types of guitars, but your connection to the Strat – most notably The Hitmaker – cannot be overstated. How many do you own in total?

“I would say maybe 25 or 30, maybe more. But you just said Strats, right?! [laughs] I’ve also got D’Angelicos, Les Pauls and others, so around 200 guitars in total. The Hitmaker is the one I’m most associated of course, and I play it every day. If you’re talking about the guitars that made the records, that always comes first and I’ve pretty played it on everything.

“Then when I was doing The Vaughan Brothers, I went out and bought a guitar a few months before we started. There was a famous guitar store in New York called Manny’s and I’d bought a lot of Strats there, so was pretty tight with them. 

“They were looking through their inventory and found an old box labeled ‘Black Strat Gold-Plated’. They were perplexed. So they opened it up and it was brand-new but still 20 years old, they didn’t know it was there. And that guitar ended up on a lot of the Vaughan Brothers record…

“Stevie played my guitar and he loved the way it sounded. Of course, everyone thinks of his Strat with the SRV initials on it, but big parts of that album were on my black Strat with the gold-plated hardware. I might actually send that to Fender and have them come up with the story of how it was made and why it was made that year… because it was not a normal kind of Strat. That’s probably in third place.”

And as for second place?

“That would be a Mexican Strat I got around the same time, when I met Jimmie Vaughan. He actually said to me, ‘Just think about this, who knows more about guitar than Mexicans?!’ And I said, ‘You’ve got a point there, Jimmie!’ 

“So we bought a bunch of Mexican Strats and they were amazing. I loved how they felt, because I have small hands… that’s why The Hitmaker’s awesome, because it’s tiny! 

“The Mexican models seemed to have a smaller neck and the radius was just perfect. So I used one of those as a secondary guitar on a ton of recordings. Those are my three main Strats.

“For acoustic stuff, I use a Martin now and then but I tend to use jazz guitars more. I also have a number of pretty mega Les Pauls that I’ve played when doing recordings with Slash and Lisa Zappa. 

“For a while I had two custom-made Guitar Man guitars, two of which were plexiglass so I used them mainly live for Chic gigs. When I finally did the Daft Punk record, they were like, ‘Dude, can you bring that see-through Strat!’ So it doubled The Hitmaker on Get Lucky. 

“There are three guitar tracks, two of which were The Hitmaker and one of which was the plexiglass...”

Speaking of which, it’s interesting how many parts are playing different variations of the same line. Would you say it’s one of the hallmarks of your playing?

“Yeah, embellishing chords and ideas is the essence of my thing. There’s a funny video, I think it’s still online, where Daft Punk were playing Get Lucky for the first time and they asked me to play along. You see me stop right in the middle and someone screamed out, ‘Man, it’s just four chords!’ And I’m looking at that person going, ‘So that’s what you hear, huh? Just four chords?!’

“I was trying to figure out the pattern. Yeah, I know it’s basically four chords, but there’s a pattern that I was trying to lock into so that it really was Get Lucky, not just somebody butchering it. I wanted to play it properly! So I was listening and listening and then I heard it! I never play a song the way I write it. I write it and then I have fun playing it.

“Even Let’s Dance, I originally came up with the concept and had a minor 13th as one of the chords, but then I moved it up an octave. And half the reason I can’t play along with my records is because when I did the actual recordings, I was still having fun inverting and interpreting the song. I actually have to write it all out, otherwise I won’t remember.”

The big riff in Give Life Back To Music, the opening track from Daft Punk’s last masterpiece, is another one that comes to mind...

“Exactly. That’s a cornerstone of my playing. Like with Get Lucky, it might seem like four chords but there are little lines hidden in there. One of the layers might be the simple chords, another will be dancing around. I need to hear the pattern of the dance before I can actually play it.”

You’ve used Fender amps a lot over the years. What else do you feel is essential to your tone?

“I’m quite simple, my pedalboard only has three things on it – a chorus, a wah and maybe an overdrive, which I don’t really use. Oh course, and there’s delay for Let’s Dance and a tuner. 

“One thing I’ve been using lately a lot is my wah – I’ve always loved them, but I got this new one that is just as sweet as maple sweet and beautiful. The resonance quality when you are fully down is usually somewhere you go to and then come right back off. 

“But on this pedal, you can go there and it actually has a bright, pingy quality that was desirable. 

“I actually just played a song on Idina Menzel’s new album demo just the other day and it really added its own thing. I still might change it for the final recordings though! 

“I don’t know if it’s right to say which one as I’m mainly talking about Fender stuff right now, but this wah is killer. I gave one to Eric Clapton when we did the tribute to Ginger Baker. I was taking a solo during a classic Cream song, maybe White Room, and having so much fun, standing on it and jumping around. 

“Eric looked at me and thought, ‘This guy is having the time of his life!’ It sounded so sweet with The Hitmaker. We were in London at Abbey Road, I had my gear and my tech crew, so it all felt perfect.”

What was it about the sound of a Strat that converted you?

“I was basically a jazz and classical player to begin with. The speed I could achieve using my fingers, I couldn’t achieve with a pick. I found it easier with hands. At the time, my musical partner was Bernard Edwards, who is a really funk-oriented guy and he hated my sound with the big fat jazzy guitar. 

“He’d say it fed back too much and therefore you couldn’t play it loud, et cetera. We just had a hit record, so there was an opening act on our tour and I let their guitarist use my equipment. He was playing a Strat and was really chugging on it. 

“That’s when I realized what Bernard was trying to get me to do – he talked me into buying a Strat, so I did. And that was The Hitmaker, bought in 1973 from a little pawn shop in Florida.”

What do you look for when buying a guitar – how do you initially assess the instruments that might make it into your collection?

“I pick it up, hold it and check the weight. After Fender sent me a new Hitmaker, I said, ‘This feels really great but can you make it lighter?!’ Because I’m so used to mine being as light as a feather. That’s half the reason I love the Acoustasonic, it weighs nothing! 

“I like the lighter guitars, that’s always been a thing with me – I guess because I grew up with jazz guitars which don’t weigh much.

“Typically what I do is hold it and then play it without an amp. If it sounds good without an amp, I know when I plug it in, that thing is going to smoke. Every Strat I own you would love, they all sound great even before you plug them in. I’ve decided to sell pretty much everything, I never set up a museum so they’re just sitting in the closet somewhere not being played and I feel guilty. 

“And now I have the Acoustasonic, I’m thinking, ‘Damn, I don’t even need my jazz guitars anymore!’”

And as for all the session work, what do you think is the biggest secret to your success?

“I guess it ties in with what Bernard was saying around that time – he felt that with my harmonic knowledge, I could be really special and unique in funk. Using all the theory and harmony, plus my learnings from the George Van Eps method, I could play over any chord or style of chord that’s written on a chart with just three notes.

“Anyone can when they know the thing that the producer or conductor wants to hear.

“That’s what I loved about the George Van Eps technique – it helped me understand what to do when on a session and seeing charts with very complicated voicings written out – because they’d been composed on piano. So what does a guitar player do… we only have six strings!”

So a lot of it comes down to your spontaneity in the studio or in the moment...

“You have to instantly figure out what are the main voices that this composer wants to hear and you have to be able to play them right there on the spot. They might say, ‘My man, are you looking at the chart? That’s an A13 with a flat nine and a flat five!’

“And you have to figure out what will convince them and sound good enough… would it be a 3rd, 5th and flat 9?

“Right there in the session, you have to satisfy everyone in there and straight away. That’s what put me in the music business as a kid, I could go to a session and know whatever they had written out, I could play enough to make everyone happy. 

“I remember my first session was with two mega guitar players – Cornell Dupree and Jeff Mironov...”

That must have been pretty nerve-wracking for you at the time!

“Sure, I was the 20 year-old unknown guy. But because of my classical background, I’d done a lot of practice. It was for Luther Vandross and the arranger/conductor was great – Harold Wheeler, who is super famous now and does loads of stuff like the Academy Awards. 

“But I was the little snotty-nosed kid in the group and he was hearing notes that weren’t written out on the chart, so he said, ‘Yo, young blood, what’s that bullshit you’re playing there?!’

“I was trying to be respectful and looked to him as the maestro, but I couldn’t help it – I just said, without thinking, ‘I’m just playing the bullshit you’ve written out on this chart!’ 

“Everyone on the session, including guys like the Brecker Brothers, laughed thinking, ‘How is he talking to Harold Wheeler like that?!’ Honestly, I wasn’t trying to be a smartass. 

“But that got me into the New York studio musician scene and the rest was history! It was the first big session I played on and after that everybody started calling me to play on records.”

Recently, we’ve seen some impressive American Acoustasonic Stratocaster guitar performances from the likes of Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Striking Matches and Naia Izumi. 

Now, legendary guitarist, songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers has joined the fun, composing an all-original, supremely funky song, Inside the Box, with the Acoustasonic Strat.

The Chic founder was tasked with crafting a tune highlighting each of the Acoustasonic’s distinct voice pairings, and he proved up to the challenge, combining acoustic and electric tones in a myriad of ways. A full listing of the voices employed, and where each one appears in the song, is included alongside the video.

“The voices available on the Acoustasonic are designed to evoke the real-world sources that they are based on (core acoustic, alternate acoustic, electric clean, electric fat, etc.) without traditional guitar amplification…as such, most of the voice indications on [the] cue sheet are marked 'no amp,’” Rodgers and engineer Russell Graham explained.

“However, putting the guitar through a traditional guitar amplifier yields interesting and sometimes unexpected tones. In particular, we found that the acoustic/electric blended voice, with traditional guitar amplification applied, was reminiscent of a classic hollow-body jazz guitar – and so for the guitar solo we’ve noted that the tone is ‘amped.’”

For more information on the American Acoustasonic Strat, check out our in-depth review, or pay a visit to Fender.

The Eric Clapton & Friends: A Tribute to Ginger Baker concert took place at London’s Eventim Apollo Hammersmith on February 17, and the one-time-only event didn’t disappoint as far as the friends that came out to celebrate the legendary drummer’s legacy. 

Following a short montage of Baker’s life, Clapton – Baker’s two-time electric guitar band mate in Cream and Blind Faith – and his band were joined by Roger Waters on bass for Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love. 

Waters remained onstage for two more Cream songs, Strange Brew and White Room, the latter also featuring former Faces band mates Ronnie Wood on guitar and Kenney Jones on drums.

Other highlights included Wood on Badge; Chic guitar legend Nile Rodgers on I Feel Free and Tales of Brave Ulysses; and a Blind Faith mini-set (essentially, most of the supergroup’s entire 1969 debut album) with Clapton, Rogers, Steve Winwood on organ, vocals and guitar and Baker’s son, Kofi Baker, on drums.

The entire guest list, which also included drummer Henry Spinetti and guitarist Will Johns (son of producer Andy Johns), closed the night with a run-through of Crossroads, with Clapton, Wood and Rodgers trading solos on a trio of Strats and Johns contributing some tasty licks on an Ernie Ball Music Man EVH.

Commented Clapton to the audience early on, “Some of that stuff was 50 years ago but it feels like yesterday.”

He also riffed on Baker’s famously prickly personality, saying, “He was a scoundrel but I loved him and he loved me and that was that.

“I saw some people get the rough edge of his tongue but I never did, so I feel blessed. That’s why I’m doing this.”

You can check out more performances from the show below.

Rock guitarists with open minds discovered that a lot of really cool, inventive electric guitar parts were predominant in disco hits during the '70s, including Ish Ledesma’s stanky talk box on Foxy’s Get Off, Jerome Smith’s half-speed, octave-up leads on KC and the Sunshine Band’s Get Down Tonight and Jeff Baxter’s razor-sharp solo on Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff. 

But the most classic and timeless guitar parts to come from that era were laid down by Nile Rodgers, whose driving rhythms propelled numerous hits by Chic and Sister Sledge like Good Times (which originated the seminal hip-hop sampled loop), We Are Family and the best-selling hit Le Freak.

While hundreds of rock, new wave, R&B and hip-hop guitarists have copped Rodgers’ licks over the last four decades, few have come close to duplicating his slinky, sexy tones. 

The secret behind Rodgers’ ultra-clean sound is that he either records his guitar direct into the studio’s mixing console or he employs a combination of direct guitar and a miked amp, as he did on Le Freak. 

Recorded at New York’s Power Station Studios with engineer extraordinaire Bob Clearmountain behind the studio’s Neve 8068 console, Rodgers’ direct recorded rhythm guitar track emphasizes upper midrange and treble frequencies beyond the range of a standard guitar amp to find its own distinct space in the mix. 

The Neve console’s 31102 mic preamp/EQ channel strip generously reduces bass (to provide extra room for Bernard Edwards’ booty-shaking bass low-end thump), while a miked Deluxe Reverb recorded simultaneously on a second track mixed below the direct track preserves body.

Rodgers’ Hitmaker Strat, which he says sounds unlike any other Strat he’s ever played, also contributes to the guitar tone’s distinctive mojo. But perhaps most important of all is Rodgers’ unique timing and feel, making extensive use of muted-string chucking and chord voicing limited to three strings at most.

Get the sound, cheap!

• Squier Standard Stratocaster with maple fingerboard
• Universal Audio Arrow audio interface
• Neve 31102 Classic Console EQ and 33609 Compressor UAD Plug-Ins

TONE TIP: The UA Arrow is bundled with the Pultec EQP 1A3 EQ plug-in, so with the Neve plug-ins a virtual duplicate of Rodgers’ complete vintage direct recording studio setup is available for less than $1,000. Use the 31102 EQ to boost frequencies above 4kHz to replicate his ethereal rhythm guitar sheen.

Original gear

Guitar: 1960 Fender Stratocaster with maple 1959 neck and hardtail bridge (neck pickup only), Master Volume: 10, Neck Tone: 10

Direct input: Neve 8068 console with 31102 channel strips (Mic Preamp Level: -30dB, High Frequency: 12kHz, HF Level: +6dB, Mid Frequency: 4.8kHz, MF level: +4dB, Hi Q: On, Low Frequency: 220Hz, LF Level: -6dB, High Pass Filter: 160Hz, Low Pass Filter: off)

Amp: c. 1968-77 Fender Deluxe Reverb (Normal Channel input 1, Volume: 4, Treble: 7, Bass: 5) with Oxford 12K5 12-inch speaker

Effects (outboard): Neve 33609 compressor (settings unknown), Pultec EQP 1A3 2-Band EQ (settings unknown)

Strings/Tuning: D’Addario XL120 .009-.042/Standard

Pick: Fender Thin